


The Prince, The Gangster, The Teacher, And The Poet

by PassionateALot



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Barely cannon, Basically just using characters, Coming Out, Communication, Dragon Witch - Freeform, Esseray, Fighting, Fluff, How Do I Tag, How is that not a tag, Hurt/Comfort, I'll see if they catch up, I'm self projecting a lot in this, M/M, Magic, Magic AU, Magic fighting, Mention of past Anciet, Mideval AU, Minor Deceit, Minor Remus, Multi, ON WATTPAD TOO, Past Anceit, Poly Sides, Polyamory, Prince! Roman, Really far from cannon, Romance, SO MUCH FLUFF, Slight Angst?, Slight Internalized Homophobia, Slight Internalized Transphobia, Slow Burn, Sympathetic everyone really, TW before every chapter, There has to be conflict, Trans! Logan, Updated regularly, Warlock! Virgil, Werewolf! Patton, Witch - Freeform, actual healthy communication, and jokes, but nothing graphic, descriptions of fighting, even though i hate it, for a bit at least, how did this turn out so fluffy?, kind of, like ten chapters of fluff, maybe guest author?, mostly emotional, not taking care of yourself, sander sides - Freeform, thomas sanders - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 129,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28075989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PassionateALot/pseuds/PassionateALot
Summary: Prince Roman Seymor is able to go outside of the palace for the very first time. He, being the oldest of his siblings, is first in line for the throne. But when adventure calls, he can't really help himself if his dream is the thing he goes after, right?After a fire when he was a child, Virgil assumed his parents dead and ran away in fear of being taken care of by anyone else. His allegiance was found in a gang of which he had been a member for years. But there are things that he keeps from even his closest friendsLogan Sanders's father has been gone for years, leaving him and his dad alone to run a shop. He knows that he's probably the only one that believes his father will come back, and even though he would never admit it, he would give anything to see him againPatton hasn't been outside for most of his life. But he's 16, and the curse on his bloodline still hasn't affected him, so maybe going out on an adventure with three strange boys for the good of the kingdom wouldn't be so bad?When these four morons are the only ones protected from a witch's curse, they realize that they are the only ones who are able to cast magic in the kingdom. They decide they have to go and save their town themselves
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 102
Kudos: 57





	1. Intro

**_I'm writing this after I published the first chapter on Wattpad, most of the story is already posted there, but I decided to post on this platform too! Same name on Wattpad, if you'd like to find me! This is just an information page. Just so everyone knows rules that have to do with this stuff_ ** **_._ **

**_This is an original story. I got the idea years ago, but it was pretty badly written and forced the first time I wrote it, so I'm rewriting it. I'm going to try to keep each chapter around the same length, though some might run longer, or be cut short just for story purposes. Each chapter will be around 2700-2800 words._ **

**_Update about chapter lengths: I've started writing longer chapters. So be prepared after the first four or five chapters for there to be like... 3000 or more words._ **

**_I do not own the main characters. They are made by Thomas Sanders, who is a beautiful angel, and give him love. There will be some original characters, some concepts I stole from the original Sander Sides and some other parts of stories that might seep into what I'm writing now._ **

**_Please ask before you borrow any of my original characters, I create most of them on the fly, and I really would prefer to know where they're going into._ **

**_If my work seems like other stories you've read, that's okay, but don't point it out? I'm very self-conscious about that, I don't want to steal from anyone else's ideas, but I tend to rely very heavily on other ideas by other people._ **

**_If you have an idea, a prompt, or a headcanon about this story, don't be afraid to share. I try my best to respond to every comment I can so you know I saw it, and I might just add it to the story!_ **

**_I update this story on Mondays and sometimes Fridays if I'm feeling up to it. I didn't have a schedule before now, and I never posted or finished stories, so I'm working on that now. I won't start another story until 1) I get a little more into the school year where I feel comfortable with writing more, or 2) I finish this story._ **

**_Please give me encouragement? Even just commenting or favoriting makes me feel so much better about myself, you have no idea! And if you like it, please share it? I need to feel validated and I love attention._ **

**_There will be romance in this book, but they're probably won't be more. If there is, I might write it in another story and list it as a sequel. I will write kissing and allude to things, but there won't be any smut._ **

**_I add trigger warnings at the beginning of chapters. Sometimes they are needed, sometimes they aren't, but I prefer being careful._ **

**_Lastly, thank you for reading. I tend to get self-conscious, so thank you for bearing with me, and if you're returning from some of my other stories from before, then thank you for coming back to me._ **

**_-Percival_ **


	2. The Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Remus. If you're here, you know what that means, but I'll just say it anyway. Vague mentions of gore, strong language, lewd terms, nothing too graphic, but thought I'd include warnings just in case.

"That's not fair." Remus was sitting on Roman's bed as his brother, older by only a few seconds though it made all the difference, stood in front of the mirror, his white suit pristine and crisp, cleaned by the maids and servants before today. It's his sixteenth birthday.

"It is completely fair. I'm a day older." Roman tried not to stick out his tongue at his brother and failed. It was childish, but he couldn't help it.

"You're twenty minutes older. And were born at midnight." His brother sulked. "That's the only reason father wants you to be in line for the throne."

"That, and the fact that when we were children, I was playing with a horse and made a horn to put on its head, and you made a horn and put it on his..." Remus burst into giggles.

"On its penis!" Remus fell over, and Roman groaned, facepalming. That was his brother. Always... making people uncomfortable. But he loved him. As much as it was hard to, and it was very hard sometimes.

"See, this is why I'm the one going outside and meeting the people, and you're staying in here and learning more about 'Decorum'" Remus rolled his eyes, still lying sideways on the bed.

"Decorum deshnorum." Remus didn't move, just staring at his brother. The two looked strikingly similar, which was probably why Remus started wearing a completely different color scheme, instead of the red's and whites his brother wore, Remus would try to wear black and green as much as possible. It was also probably the reason that Remus had grown that mustache. He was rubbing it in that Roman had trouble even growing stubble, much less facial hair. But most of the family agreed it seemed to suit Remus in a creepy way.

"Prince Roman, Prince Remus," The princes both turned, looking over to the door where a servant was standing, tall and proud as most servants around the castle did. "Your father would like you to come down for breakfast. I've already called your siblings." Remus grinned, still not moving anything but his head, which would have been unnerving to anyone who hadn't grown up with Remus.

"Thank you, Seth." Roman waved a hand at the door, rolling his eyes at his brother. "Tell father we'll be down in a few minutes."

He turned back to the mirror, straightening his crown once more, but letting his mind wander. Roman and Remus were the oldest of their family, turning sixteen today and tomorrow. A year after, Romulus was born. He had almost been the opposite of Remus, quiet and reserved, yet the two of them seemed to get along almost better then Roman and Remus did. Then there was their younger sisters, Rosalina and Reannon. His father had really enjoyed the R theme of names.

"I'm going to go downstairs," Remus announced, finally getting up from Roman's bed. Roman was fairly certain he was going to find something weird when he went to sleep that night.

"I'm joining you. Last time we let you have free reign of the house before you ate..." Roman shuddered.

"I don't need a babysitter." Remus folded his arms, huffing.

"Ten dead pigeons and our stained bathroom walls say otherwise." Remus rolled his eyes but waited for Roman to do one last look in the mirror before following him out the door.

"You're going to do fine, you know that, right?" Remus's voice was serious, which rarely happened. He must have noticed how nervous Roman was for today.

"I know. I'm still..." He paused. "What if they don't like me?"

"They will, Ro. I haven't met anyone who could resist your charm." Remus bumped Roman with his arm, padded shoulder against padded shoulder. "And if you're really so worried, talk to them without them thinking you're the prince."

"Dad's sending guards."

"Right." Remus winked at his brother, who just laughed.

"Remus, Roman! Thank you for coming so promptly." Their father, King Quinlan, called from the head of the table. They walked around, Remus ruffling the hair of their youngest sister, Reannon, who had already dove into a book about something or other that none of the family was too interested in. It was the way Reannon liked it, not really paying attention to the world, so the world wouldn't pay attention to her. She waved off her brother's hand. Romulus didn't seem to have come down just yet, but Rosalina was leaning forward, her chair right next to Roman's, pelting him with questions.

"Do you know what you're going to say? Will you have to make a speech? Are you nervous? Are you excited? Do you think you'll buy anything? Do you think you'll meet someone? You remember the story of how father met mother, right?"

"Rose." Their father warned, and Rosalina went quiet. "Thank you, darling." He turned to Roman as the servants began bringing out plates and cups of food and drink. Roman studied his father for a few moments. His hair was starting to turn grey, and wrinkles in around his face were starting to become more and more apparent. He realized his father was stressed, and he knew that soon, maybe not this year but still, soon, he would have to take over so his father could just relax. He tried not to shudder at the thought.

"So, Roman." The moment was over, and his father was talking again. "How are you feeling? Think you can get down some breakfast?" Roman laughed.

"Of course! I'll need my strength in case I find a damsel in distress!" He puffed his chest proudly, all thoughts of the future quickly pushed out of his mind. He could think about that later.

"I'm glad. I remember that on my day, I was so nervous I couldn't eat." Roman must have looked worried because his father shook his head quickly. "Nothing bad happened, I promise. It was just nerves." Remus caught Roman's eye, before suddenly grabbing his father's attention.

"I plan to go out today and ride around on Dick!" Remus sometimes came off as narcissistic, though in the castle, everyone knew Roman was the one with the bigger ego. Remus just loved attention, and stealing it away from someone who was uncomfortable was one of his greatest talents.

"The horse's name is Richard, Remus." Their father sounded tired, but they all could tell it was mainly an act. Their father loved Remus the most. The others didn't mind, it took a special sort of patience to understand Remus's sense of humor. And their father did more than just understand it. He appreciated it. Roman knew if he asked Remus, his brother would start focusing more on his lessons and would start to act more responsible. If Roman asked, Remus would request to be the first in line for the throne. But Roman didn't want to ask. Asking was giving up, even if it meant giving up on his dreams.

"And Richard has a huge Dick, so I call him Dick!" Remus laughed, mouth full of food Roman hadn't even noticed was placed in front of them.

"Of course you do." Reannon didn't look up from her book, taking a bagel from her plate. Roman had lied to his dad, he didn't really have the stomach to eat a whole meal, so he stole a muffin and unwrapped it, taking only a few bites before sprinkling a few more crumbs around his plate.

"Anyway, Roman. Don't worry about today. Just stay with your guard and you'll be fine. I've assigned the best of the best."  
  
  


\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  


Sneaking away from the best of the best guard his father could find was really a feat. But Roman and Remus had gained a talent from sneaking away from people, only to turn up later looking completely innocent, as if it had been a huge misunderstanding. So while the guards were waiting for Roman by the front gate, Roman exited through the hole he and Remus had found as children. They had never left that way, it was too dangerous people would say, for a prince to be out alone, but he needed to see the kingdom. And he needed to do it on his own. He was just grateful for the map his father had let him bring, or he would have gotten lost long before he made it to the center of town.

So he walked around the kingdom, his crown in his bag, a cloak over his fancy clothing. As he walked around the market place, he realized that people didn't seem to notice him. People were shouting wares, all vying for his attention. It was so much different than the castle, but it was glorious. His eye fell on a small shop that had trinkets and masks in the window. He paused, not knowing what to do. No one had recognized him yet, which wasn't surprising since all they saw of him was portraits and sometimes they would catch a glimpse after a huge party or event. But if he went into a shop and someone realized who he was, it could cost him his whole day and he would have to find the guards again. He closed his eyes tightly. He could do this.

Pushing open the doors, there was a faint scent of lavender mixed with something delicious baking, and he entered the shop. Masks and toys lined the walls, and a plate of freshly baked cookies sat on the counter. A boy, about Roman's age with glasses and wearing a more formal shirt then some other people he was walking around with, looked up from his large textbook, his blonde hair falling in front of his eyes, and he made a soft groaning noise in the back of his throat, pushing it out of the way.

"Hello, sir. If there's anything I can help you with, let me know." Good. This man didn't seem to recognize him. That was good. But part of him was disappointed. He knew it was bad, he didn't want to be caught, but deep down, if someone were to just look at him for a little longer, then that would make all the difference. Walking around the shop, he noticed five or six other people browsing, a parent and his two children, two boys arguing in the corner, and a girl looking at a sea-foam green mask, obviously wanting to put it on.

For a moment, he wondered if the boys were dating, but put that notion aside. He didn't need distractions like that, and besides. It wasn't his place to butt in on their conversation. He rolled his eyes, thinking of how Remus always said "Ass in" instead of butt in, which made him resist the urge to smile and laugh, but also gave him a pang in his chest. They hadn't really been apart for this long before. He hoped his brother was alright. He walked over to a red mask, gold trim all around the eyes and nose. It even had his crest on it, which made him smile.

"That's one of our bestsellers." Roman jumped, turning to see the boy who had been reading before standing right next to him. "Apologies, I tend to do that." He gave a short laugh and reached out a hand. Roman slowly gave the mask over to the taller boy, because he was tall. A full head taller than Roman, in fact. The boy didn't seem to notice Roman's hesitation. "See, this one is based on the oldest prince, his color scheme, gold and red and white. But if you look closely," he traced patterns into the background, and Roman seemed to notice something for the first time. "It also has the other royal siblings, including Prince Remus's crest, in the background. Not very noticeable, but we thought it was enough of a quirk to make it stand out."

"That's..." Roman realized his voice might be a giveaway to his identity, so he deepened it. "That's very interesting." He nodded, trying to look wise instead of uncomfortable.

"Anyway, I would suggest, if you would like to continue to keep your identity secret, purchasing some sort of mask. This one might be too on the nose if you don't mind me saying." Roman blinked.

"What?"

"You are Prince Roman, are you not?" He kept his voice calm, not drawing attention to them.

"I... I mean... I..."

"A simple yes or no would work." Roman took in a deep breath.

"Right. Yes." He hadn't expected to be outed so quickly.

"No need to apologize. And for what it's worth, I don't believe anyone else has noticed. But many people enjoy wearing our masks for any occasion. It's difficult for me," The boy gestured to his glasses, and Roman nodded as if he understood the struggle. "But I think I have something that would go perfectly with your face..." Roman blushed and glanced away as the boy with the glasses started going through masks.

"Oh, uh... thank you?"

"No need." The boy waved a hand, picking out a white mask with golden sparkles like eye shadow, and red gems on the forehead. "This one would work with your completion as well. And it would match your hair." Roman instinctively ran a hand through his red hair. He was proud of his coloring, he had inherited it from his mother. "I'm Logan, by the way."

"Logan," Roman repeated. "Nice to meet you, and thank you so much."

"Of course." Roman reached for his coin pouch, realizing that Logan probably wasn't going to ask for the money himself. "Oh, you don't have to-" But he was cut off by a few gold coins falling into his hand. "Well, thank you." Logan bowed his head, not enough to seem suspicious. "I do hope you enjoy your walk. If there's anything else you need, please feel free to let me know." The boy walked back around the counter and started reading his book again.

Roman decided at that moment that he very much liked this place.

A few seconds went by without incident as Roman put on the mask and continued to look around, before one of the two arguing boys, both about his age, threw his hands up with a groan, rolling his eyes. They waited a few seconds, and Roman tried not to stare, though it was difficult. Then one of them walked up to the counter.

"Excuse me, do you happen to have one of those... I'm not sure what the word is." He snapped his fingers as if he could magically find the word just by a hand movement.

"Describe it to me?" Roman turned back to look at these smaller, more expensive trinkets, as the other boy stepped closer. This one was wearing what looked to be a cloak, black, and the hood was pulled up. He started looking at the trinkets before quickly grabbing one and running out the door.

"Wait, he just took something!" The boy at the counter, the one talking to Logan, bolted, but not before Logan whistled for the guard to come. Logan turned back to Roman.

"Thank you for letting me know. I wouldn't have noticed otherwise." He smiled, but it was slightly pained. Roman didn't seem to catch that.

"Don't worry! I'll catch him for you!" Roman grinned, posing heroically, before taking off after the boy. He could do this. Be a hero. It's what he's always wanted, isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if there were any spelling or grammar errors so I can fix them, or just give me encouragement! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this! I'm going to update every Monday and sometimes on Fridays just so if something happens, I can continue updating anyway XD Thank you, and you're awesome!
> 
> -Percival


	3. The Gangster

Virgil cursed under his breath. He shouldn't have let Janus drag him into this. It was like him, too. He should have expected no less. It was supposed to be making it up to him for last time, last time where they, once again, were running from the law. And, yet again, the makeup had ended up turning into the problem. 

This wasn't even their mark. They weren't supposed to be at the shop. They had gotten the okay to take the day off, but it turned out they were still working. If it hadn't been for that idiot in the mask...

No. He was focusing on just getting the fuck out of dodge. If he could make it... if he could get out of there... he could tell Janus he was done. That he didn't want to steal from stores like Logan's. He had been watching the store for a while, and Logan was one of the people who consistently was taking care of it. He knew it wasn't really his store, but there was something about it that made Virgil feel guilty. He ducked into an alley, before realizing it was a wrong turn. He cursed again, louder this time, before turning around to book it, and seeing two guards and the boy who had started it all. There was something familiar about him, but Virgil couldn't place his finger on why. 

"Put your hands up, and we'll take you to the prison without any trouble." Virgil nearly laughed. At first, he had believed them, that they would take care of him until Jan- no, he's in trouble, he reminded himself. Codenames. Until Deceit was able to save him. 

There was a lot of crying after.

"As if." The object he was risking his sanity for, thankfully, was with Deceit. He hoped to any and all gods listening or watching that he had made it home safely without running into someone who wanted to hurt him. There seemed to be a lot of those these days.

"Then we will have to take you by force." Virgil flinched and watched as the boy in the mask behind the two men's eyes widened. He obviously hadn't seen this type of thing before.

"You can certainly try." He was good at not looking as nervous as he usually felt, and he closed his eyes, reaching behind his back. If he could just get a hold of... there it was! From the wall behind him, he pulled out a knife, channeling the little magic he had managed to teach himself. As he pulled it out, the guards took a step back.

"He's armed." One said to the other, and he nodded.

"Stay behind us." Guard two said to the boy in the mask, and an odd sort of rage seemed to fill Virgil. Where was that compassion ten years ago? Why was it that the citizens with the money, because by the clothing Masked Man obviously had money, were the ones who got to be kept safe? He didn't realize he was growling until the other boy looked at him right in the eyes, horrified. He must have seen the anger. Virgil knew that as soon as he was alone, he would start panicking. 

One of the guards advanced, and for the first time, Virgil felt a calm wash over him. Fighting was something he was good at. It was something he was used to. And it required all his attention, which meant less room for the panic consuming his mind. As the man swung his sword, Virgil blocked it, before swinging around and striking the man in his side. Not hard, just enough to draw blood.

To the man's credit, he didn't faint instantly. Watching a huge man look at the knife that had a little blood on it, and then collapsing like a sack of bricks, it was nearly funny. As the man in the mask quickly ran forward to see if the guard was okay, Virgil saw a chance. Closing his eyes, he hoped he would miss, but his hand managed to grab onto the boy's arm. He let out a high pitched squeal as Virgil dragged him back, pinning his arms to his side.

"Take a step closer, and trust me, it's not going to end well." The other guard held up his hands, a panicked look on his face. The gears turned in his head as he seemed to come up with some sort of plan.

"Can... can I take... my friend to... the barracks?" His voice was small as he watched the two boys. Virgil felt the other boy stiffen against his arms, obviously worried that this guard would leave him here with a criminal. Virgil took a few steps back, dragging Mr. Mask with him, and nodded.

"Go ahead." The guard took a step forward, scooping the other man into his arms. "You call for someone else, he dies." He felt the masked boy whimper at that. The guard nodded and ran, but not before quickly closing the gate to that alley, trapping them both inside. "Shit." Virgil instantly let go, letting the knife clatter to the ground. His hands are shaking as he backs up a few more steps. It isn't really the fact that they're trapped, the gate is easily enough breached if they needed to, he'd done it before. And he knew an escape spell. And if all else failed, the wall behind them wasn't too tall. They could climb. It was the fact that this happened again. That Janus had, once again, tricked him. He slid down the wall, putting his head in his hands. The gate was thick enough that people couldn't see in very well, so he was vaguely aware that the only person watching him freak out was the hostage he took.

The boy in the mask was looking at him in absolute horror. But then there was something else, something worse. Pitty. He hated that look, but he couldn't do anything about it. It was just making his panic worse.

"What...?" He didn't finish the question and Virgil couldn't help the sob that escaped his throat. It wasn't loud enough to draw attention, but the masked man obviously heard it. "Hey... hey. Look at me." Virgil shook his head, putting his head back tucked into his knees. "Okay. Okay..." The other man was also panicking, and Virgil would have laughed if they were anywhere else doing anything else. The stranger brushed his hair out of the way, breathing out. "What did Reannon say..." There was a faint click in Virgil's brain, as if it realized something, and then remembered the situation, realizing it wasn't really the time. 

"I'm sorry..." He didn't realize he was whispering it over and over again. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." The other man shook his head quickly, getting on his knees in front of Virgil. Usually, or at least when Deceit used to do it, it would make him panic more. A need to get out of there. Trapped. But this wasn't that feeling, even though his entire being was braced for it to get worse.

"Hey. It's okay. Can you look at me?" Virgil glanced up to see the man had removed his mask. He was handsome, Virgil could see that even though he was still in full flight mode. Another click from his brain, pieces of the puzzle falling into place, but he wasn't paying attention to that now. "Is this... something that happens a lot?" Virgil felt himself nodding. He would be lying if he didn't. "Okay... so... okay." The man squeezed his eyes shut, taking a few deep breaths. "Can you breathe for me?" Virgil, to his credit, tried, but his breath got caught in his throat and he choked, letting out a louder sob and whimper. "It's okay. Can I touch you?" Virgil closed his eyes. Of course, he was trying to help. Of course, he was nice enough not to run, or even try to stab him with the knife on the ground next to them. He was trying to help Virgil calm down.

"Y-Yeah." He managed, his eyes still squeezed shut. He felt a hand on his back, gentle and calming, rubbing circles.

"Okay, I need you to breathe for me. In and out." Virgil tried again, and this time he managed to get a good lungful of air. "That's it. Keep going. You're doing great." And the masked man kept going, telling Virgil how good he was doing, and to keep it up. He didn't deserve his praise. This man was being kind to him after he just held him at knifepoint. After he had helped Janus steal in front of him. It nearly sent him back into his spiral of madness. But then the hand on his back pressed a little more, not enough to hurt or anything, but enough to be a calming, grounding presence. And Virgil didn't realize that he had leaned into the other man's chest. He quickly pulled away, shaking his head. 

"I'm so so sorry oh my gods..." He gushed out, now more aware of his surroundings. He moved back, scraping his coat somewhat against the wall. 

"No need, really. Are you okay?" The other man had the audacity to look worried. And that's when it clicked. His brain had been trying to tell him for the last few minutes as Virgil freaked out. That was the prince. That was why he looked familiar, and he was talking about Reannon earlier. It was his face on banners around the town square.

And Virgil had threatened his life. Twice.

"You're the prince." Virgil's voice was dangerously quiet, his eyes wide, and it was at that moment he knew he was going to die. The other boy, Roman it must be since Remus wasn't going to be sixteen until tomorrow, winced and smiled awkwardly. "Oh, my gods... oh my gods... I'm so sorry... I... I can leave... and I can... I can get you whatever you want or... or I can... uh..." He rambled out, not sure of what he was saying anymore. He didn't even realize that the Prince had gotten closer until two hands clasped his own together. 

"Hey!" It obviously wasn't the first time he had said it, but it snapped Virgil out of his funk. "It's okay. Breathe please, I don't need you freaking out on me again." Virgil opened his mouth, but Roman made a face. "If you need me to make that a royal order, for you to breathe, I will." That was enough to shut Virgil up. He took a few more deep breaths, expecting for the royal to move away after he had obliged, but Roman kept his hands sandwiched between his own.

"I... I really am-"

"If you say sorry one more time I will throw you in the dungeons for life." Virgil winced, but one look in the other boy's eyes meant that he was joking. "You stole something." And there it was.

"I didn't." He said, trying to look tough. But it was hard to look tough when you had tears on your face, he hadn't noticed that before, and someone was holding your hands tightly.

"No." Roman thought about it. "You didn't. But you let your friend. That's not nice..." 

"You can call me Anxiety." He said, his voice quiet. He didn't like the name, but it was better than the other one Deceit had wanted to call him.

"That's not your name is it?" Virgil shook his head. "You're not going to tell me your name, are you?" Virgil, once again, shook his head. "That's okay. But Anxiety? You have to give it back." Virgil, once again, shook his head, but now it was more panicked. Roman looked confused.

"If... if we give it back..." He attempted, shutting his eyes again. They wouldn't have food. If they didn't give it back, they wouldn't' be able to eat in a few days. It was the worst-case scenario, but it was better to think that way and be wrong than to expect everything to go his way. He learned that the hard way.

"If you give it back?" Roman hadn't heard any of that and Virgil, once again, almost sobbed. Roman saw that it was hurting him, so he let it drop. "Where do you live?"

"I can't show you." Virgil looked at the ground.

"Well, I'm walking you home either way. And you can't stop me, that's an order." Roman grinned at him and Virgil groaned. This was not going how he expected it to go. The prince was a lot more annoying than he expected, though in a sweet, caring way that made Virgil want to tell him everything that was wrong with himself. That he wasn't worth caring about. But Roman brought Virgil to his feet. "Come on, up with you. 

"Dee will be there." Virgil winced as soon as the words came out.

"Is Dee your boyfriend?" Virgil looked up, panicked.

"Boyfriend?" The prince flushed red.

"I only mean... I mean I didn't mean to imply... you... you just seemed so close in the store." He turned away, finally letting go of Virgil's hands, to pick up the mask the lay on the floor, and seeing the knife. "I hope you don't mind if I say you don't keep this on you?" Roman gestured to it, completely changing the subject. Virgil was happy to oblige.

"That's alright. I don't need it." He could summon it back if he needed it. Roman put on the mask and extended an arm. Virgil hesitated, but took it, pulling his hood over his head. "You're going to ruin my reputation, princey." It came out before he could stop it and he froze. But to his surprise, the prince didn't get angry, he threw his head back and laughed.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Man In Black." Virgil was glad that the hood cast shadows over his face, or he would be blushing as well as laughing. And now he was aware that it tore in the back. He resited the urge to groan or take it off. There were, of course, people looking for him, which was one of the only reasons he hadn't left the gang already. He could just fix it when they got home. Wait, no. When he got home, he reminded himself. Roman was not going to come inside.

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They walked the normal route to the main entrance of the bunker. From the outside, it was just a tiny house that they were able to pay off fairly quickly, especially with the thievery and the smaller jobs that, the younger members seemed to always be able to get. As they walked, there wasn't a ton they talked about. Roman mentioned something about the weather, but Virgil had taught himself not to get close to people. At least not this quickly. However hard it was. But then they passed the haunted house, and their arms were still linked, and no one could see who they were, so he felt himself get a little closer to the royal next to him. Roman seemed to notice.

"Something bothering you, my anxious friend?" Virgil raised his eyebrows at Roman, who shrugged, putting his arm around the smaller boy. Virgil struggled a little, but Roman seemed to understand that it was mostly for show. Virgil pointed to the house that they walked by.

"First of all, don't call me that. Second of all, that's the creepiest house we've ever seen."

"We've?" Roman tilted his head.

"Yes, we've. Me and a few of my... siblings." The hesitation was enough to give the lie away, but Roman was kind enough to pretend not to notice. 

"And, pray tell, what makes you so worried about that house in particular?" Roman tilted his head at the house in question, blinking at it as if that would give him the answer to his question.

"There's one guy who only comes out once a week. The lawn is always perfect, but no one does any work on it. And..." Virgil is really enjoying the terrified look on Roman's face. "Some of us think there's a ghost. We could have sworn we've seen a pale boy, always in light blue, starring at the street as if in a trance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as proud of this one, but I hope you guys like it! Thank you for reading!
> 
> -Percival


	4. The Teacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of deadnames, but quick correction for those aware.

Logan watched as the guards walked past the front of the store, one holding his slightly bleeding friend. He sighed and put his head in his hands. As soon as the theft happened, his father had come downstairs, closing the store. He was fine with it, Logan hadn't planned to work the counter all day, but he was hoping that he could have a little more time to finish his book. The prince coming in was a surprise, he hadn't expected that, and had had to double-check it actually was him a few times, but he refused to tell his father. It would just be something else that would be hung over his head, how the prince went to HIS shop and bought one of HIS masks, and how Logan should stop trying to be a teacher or tutor and start learning how to make and sell trinkets. But mainly learn how to talk to people.

"Lola?" His father called from upstairs, and Logan flinched. "Wait, sorry. Logan?" Logan nodded, relaxing a little. At least his father caught it this time.

"Yes?" He looked up the stairs, pretending to clean up some of the sparkles that had fallen on the ground after people had been looking at the masks. All he really wanted was to finish the chapter. If he could finish the chapter, he wouldn't be distracted for the rest of the day. 

"Could you come up here for a moment? I need to give you something." Logan resisted the urge to groan, getting his bookmark he had made with his father's before... well, just before. It was worn and had obviously been through many books, the tassels that were braided to stop the fraying on the ends were starting to come undone, and Logan made a promise to himself to redo the braid again that night. 

He made his way upstairs, putting the book back on one of the overrun bookshelves that lined the stairway. He was actually surprised when there weren't any that had flowed onto the stairs, making it harder to walk to where his father was calling. 

When he finally made it to the top floor, his room was down the hall and to the left, and his father's room was just across the hall, but that wasn't where the voice was coming from. He wandered into the living room, where he saw his father sitting on the floor with pictures, and items spread out around him. Logan sighed.

"Hey." His dad waved him over. "Sit down." Logan took a seat next to him, in a space that had been obviously made for him. 

"Hello." His voice was smaller than he gave it permission to be. He recognized a lot of the stuff surrounding them, some are pictures and some are "What are you doing?" He knew what he was doing. He wasn't sure why he asked. But there was a happiness that shone through his dad's eyes, and Logan relaxed.

"Just looking through your dad's old things." Logan sighed again, softer this time, watching his father's eyes get misty.

"You talk about him as if he were dead." Logan's dad wasn't dead. He had to remind himself sometimes, but he wasn't.

"Lo, he left three years ago." Logan swallowed. He had left, but it wasn't as if there weren't letters or presents. Leaving for adventure was something his father had very much been against, but dad did it anyway, just as things normally happened. His father said that it was one of the reasons he fell in love. But being gone for three years meant he missed a lot. Every letter for Logan was still addressed to Lola.

He shook off the thought, turning back to his dad. "Yes, but he continues to send letters. He is still alive, yet you look as if you are about to cry every time I bring him up. Therefore, my statement is correct. You talk about him as if he were dead." Logan didn't meet his father's eyes, picking at something on his shirt. Probably dried chocolate from the cookies he made that morning. "He's not dead."

"Right." There was something careful about his dad's tone that he didn't appreciate, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. "Anyway, I called you up here for a reason." This piqued Logan's interest, and his father was obviously waiting for a response. 

"Of course. What did you need?" His father rolled his eyes.

"Well, Logan." And Logan couldn't help the smile across his face, quickly turning away so his dad didn't see it, though he knew he could tell. "It's not really what I need. But I found something new."

"That's highly improbable" Logan's father laughed, but Logan glanced back at him, his eyes serious. "You have gone over these things over twenty times, probably more than thirty. The fact that you thought you could use that lie on me is nearly an insult."

"Nearly?" His dad raised an eyebrow.

"The only reason I don't take it as such is that I know you, and you would never blatantly insult anyone. Much less your own son."

"I'm very glad that you know that about me." His dad put an arm around Logan, still laughing softly. "But alright, fine. Your dad sent me a few things, each to give to you just in case your interests have changed since you were younger." Logan's father got up and grabbed a box on a table above them, bringing it to his lap when he sat back down again. He took off the lid and showed the contents to Logan. there were multiple objects inside, and Logan couldn't help but smile.

The first item was simple, a locket with a small rune inside it that, knowing his dad, he probably made himself. The chain was a rose gold as well as the charm, and the picture was blank, which made Logan momentarily disappointed. They didn't have very many pictures of his dad and missed being able to see him. But that being said, he glanced over the necklace again. It was something like what he used to wear before his dad took an adventuring job. It was a reminder of before, and though staying in past memories for too long wasn't healthy, he enjoyed the feeling of remembering for a few moments. 

The second was a dark black and purple cloak, but instead of it just hanging there around one's neck, it had armholes. He had seen that type of thing in the market before, but to make it stylish it usually cost more then they were willing to spend on one article of clothing. It was nice, and Logan ran his fingers over the soft black fabric. It even had pockets, which was impressive by itself, but there was a smaller rune stitched into one of the pockets, matching the one from the necklace. Logan glanced at his father, who was looking anywhere but at his son. There was probably a reason these runes were here, they seemed familiar, though Logan couldn't place them.

Something caught Logan's eye at this point, and he noticed an ascot. There was a note attached, "Just in case you still love stealing your dear old dad's clothing." Logan resisted the urge to laugh. Of course, his father caught on. Even if he didn't know what he was catching on to. He decided on that one, but he wanted to see the other object, well, now object, in the box. He noticed the same rune, tucked where no one could see it so it wouldn't mess with the dark blue coloring of the ascot, and couldn't help a grin.

The last one was something he didn't expect. A beautiful red silk sash with sparkling gold leaves stitched into it. It was gorgeous, and Logan ran his hands over it over and over again. It was much too flashy for his tastes, but still. The fabric was majestic and soft, it was much fancier than anything he owned before, and he, once again, noticed the rune amongst the other golden patterns around it. All in all, these were all beautiful, but at the same time way too much. Logan turned to his father, mouth open.

"I know. But he told me he's had a lot more money recently, and he's going to come back soon, once he gets enough to buy me the beach house I've always wanted." His father laughs, leaning his head back, but Logan knows better. He's lonely. Logan is only here so much of the time, and he has his own aspirations. But it doesn't mean it hurts less when he knows there's more he could do.

"Would you feel better if I kept this stuff?" His father looked over, surprised. Logan avoided eye contact. He didn't like being looked at, so wearing stuff to stay under the radar was kind of a given, but he would do anything to get that look off his dad's face.

"I mean, it would make me extra happy if you wore something." Logan sighed but nodded.

"I know." And, he thought to himself, it might make Logan feel better too. Or at least, closer to his father. Before he talked himself out of it, he grabbed the ascot, tying it quickly around his neck. It fit with his shirt, and he smiled a little, remembering going into his dad's closet and taking out all the clothing to play dress-up with. He watched his father smile at him, the sadness melting away.

"Have I told you you look just like him?"

"You tell me all the time, and I honestly can't see how that could be seeing as he's not my biological father." His dad rolled his eyes, laughing.

"You always had a way with words, Lo." His dad glanced up at the clock. "Anyway, I should finish up with this stuff. You go out. You worked hard today." Logan got up, shooting a smile to his dad, walking to the stairs before thinking of something. The runes were the same ones on the masks made specifically for the royals. He walked back to the living room.

"Father?" His dad looked up.

"What's up?" His dad leaned back from where he was obviously looking at a picture of the family from years ago. 

"What were the runes that you put on those masks you made in case the royal family came through here?" Logan tilted his head. He knew his father would probably figure out something, whether it be that Logan noticed the runes or that the prince came through, Logan didn't really care.

"They were runes to ward off evil magic or curses." His dad paused. "Why?"

"I was just wondering. Thank you." Logan quickly turned and walked away before his dad had questioned him further. Glancing at the clock, he realized that this would probably be a close call if he wanted to get to his job interview. So he ran.

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The interview defiantly could have gone better, Logan thought, as he was practically pushed out the door by a disgruntled man after hearing a crash from the kitchen. The man didn't even check to see if Logan had left before closing the door, lock turning, and yelling something, probably to a child, about how 'If one more cookie went missing, he would personally lock you in your room until he got back' or something like that. But it gave Logan time to breathe after.

The entire time he was in the house with its light blue exterior and the beautifully manicured garden was almost enough to put anyone at ease. It was the man that set him on edge. The way he hadn't seen the child he was supposed to teach and check in on. He usually saw them. At least, caught a glimpse. The only thing he had managed to see in the dim lighting was a glint of glasses, but when he turned, there was no one there. Logan shivered at the thought. He didn't believe in ghosts, he wouldn't let himself. They didn't exist. Magic had proven that. But still, there was something about the way everyone else was so quick to think the place was haunted, and being inside... maybe they had a point. 

He noticed no one was rushing him in or out as the man tried to do when he first entered, so he took his time leaving, noticing smaller runes on the gate. He didn't want to seem conspicuous, but these runes were very familiar at this point. They were the runes on his ascot and the runes on the prince's mask. They were protection runes. Which was odd, because usually it was very expensive to get an item inchanted with those runes, and a house was much bigger than an ascot or necklace. 

Logan wrote it off as rich people doing rich people things, and once again, despaired at the thought of probably not getting this job. 

That's when he saw the two people he recognized. The mask, at least, he would remember anywhere. The cloak, though, was one he was familiar with on more than one occasion. And they were starring at him as if they had just seen a ghost wake up and start a conversation.

"Is everything alright?" He asked as he made his way over to the pair. He recognized the boy in the familiar cloak as Anxiety, or at least, that was what he was called by his friends. 

"Yes... you just... you went into..." Anxiety's voice was quiet and in awe.

"What were you doing in the ghost house?" Roman exclaimed, probably louder then he meant it, but pushing Anxiety behind him, eyes narrowing. "You aren't some sort of ghost-demon are you?" Logan couldn't help the smile.

"If I was, would I tell you?" Logan folded his arms. "But no. I'm not."

"Exactly what a GhostDemon would say..." Roman mused, shaking his head. Anxiety pushed out from where the much stronger Roman was keeping him. 

"Also, Logan, sorry about earlier..." Logan sighed.

"No need. I wouldn't have done anything if you had just asked." He folded his arms. "You know this. And I wouldn't have done anything if someone else didn't point it out." Logan couldn't help a quick glance at Roman, who shifted.

"Well, how was I to know you two know each other?" Logan sighed, ignoring him.

"And where's Deceit?" Roman ignored the look of confusion on Roman's face.

"Home most likely." Anxiety sighed, looking at the ground. Logan was aware that sometimes, Deceit wasn't the nicest around Anxiety, but no matter what, the nervous boy stuck by his side. It was kind of admirable.

"Deceit?" Roman looked completely and utterly confused. "Why-"

"They are all named after traits, though I am still unsure of how you were assigned those traits." Logan ran a hand through his hair, pushing back his bangs.

"Ok... this is all a lot. Does everyone do this?" Anxiety just shakes his head, almost laughing.

"No. It's a 'my family' thing." Anxiety rolled his eyes.

"Oh. Okay." Roman nodded as if he were mentally taking notes. 

"Why were you in the haunted house?" Anxiety's voice was quieter as if he was trying not to break the mood of a scary ghost story.

"There was a man who wanted to see if I were interested in tutoring his son while he was away." Logan paused. "He was supposed to leave tonight, or at least that's what he told me. He hadn't yet found someone to match his standards, and I doubt that I was exactly what he was looking for." Logan shifted, putting his hands in his pockets. "He was looking for someone who was more of a nanny. That's not what I'm interested in." The others were almost quiet.

"Did you see anyone in the house?" Anxiety asked, his voice quieter than expected by his previously brash behavior.

"No one but the father, which is odd. I've applied for positions like these before, normally you would get to meet the child." They both glanced back to the house, and Logan could have sworn he had seen, once again, a glint of glasses in the window.


	5. The Poet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Slight panic, someone who's codependent being left alone for the first time.

Patton was still looking out the window as his father continued to rant. He didn't think the trio in the streets had noticed him from his perch at the window, but he couldn't be too careful. Last time someone had seen him, they had gotten so paranoid that they called the guard on his dad. They had to dig up Patton's old birth certificate as proof that Patton hadn't been kidnapped. After that, Patton tended to be more careful with what he did.

"Patton, you have no idea how stressful this is. I don't need you knocking over cookie jars in the middle of an interview. That boy could very well have been the one to take care of you for the next few weeks!" Patton sighed, grateful his dad wasn't looking at his face. He had never been good at concealing his emotions.

"Daddy..." Patton took a second to make sure that he wasn't showing any unwanted feelings, before turning to look at his dad with pleading eyes. 

"Patton cake, you can't be home alone. We've talked about this." His dad sighed, sitting on the couch. Patton ran over, sitting in the spot next to him.

"Daddy, I'm sixteen. I have been for months." Patton put his hands in his lap, not wanting to stress his father any more than he already was. "I cook for you, I know how to clean up after myself, and you have to leave tonight." It wasn't like Patton normally to try to scare people away from their house. It didn't mean it wasn't easy when he had to do it, some of those 'Nannies' were really quick to run away, but he needed to do this for himself. He needed to be able to have at least a week where his father wasn't worried about every movement he made.

"I know. But..." His father sighed. "It started with your mother when she was fifteen."

"I know."

"I don't want to leave you alone for longer then I have to."

"I know."

"You would get lonely, and if something happened, I wouldn't be alerted!"

"I know!"

"You can't just eat cookies, Patton cake. It's not healthy."

"Daddy, I know," Patton didn't whine. He really didn't. His voice just got a little higher pitched.

"You have to promise me," His father sighed, and Patton instantly lit up. Inside his head, he was doing a happy dance. "That you won't go outside or do something destructive. The curse hasn't seemed to affect you yet, and I just want you to be safe." Patton nodded violently, throwing his hands around his father's neck.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, daddy!" His dad laughed, hugging him back. His father smiled into Patton's shoulder, he could feel it, as he enjoyed the feeling of his father's arms wrapping completely around him. 

Even though Patton sometimes needed a break from his father's constant nagging and worrying, his favorite place was in his arms. He loved the feeling of safety when there wasn't anyone trying to make sure that he was safe, which was slightly counterproductive.

"You have to swear to me that you won't just eat cookies the whole time." His dad whispered, and Patton giggled.

"Of course!" Patton lied. His dad seemed to notice, Patton wasn't a very good liar, but shook his head, laughing a little.

"You know I love you, Patton cake." Patton laughed, nodding.

"I love you too." Patton pulled back, grinning. "Now, do you need any more help packing? Do you have everything? A change of clothes too?" His dad laughed.

"You really are anxious to get me out of the house, aren't you?" His dad grinned back at him. "But yes, I remembered everything."

"You're toothbrush too? I know you forget that sometimes." Patton pouted.

"I remembered my toothbrush." His dad sighed, releasing Patton and letting him sit back, adjusting his glasses. "I do have to go in an hour, and now that I'm not going to spend the time frantically searching for a-"

"Babysitter?" Patton offered, laughing.

"Well, I was going to say Nanny, but fine, babysitter works too. But anyway, my question. What would you like to do before I go?" Patton sat back, thinking about it before a grin spread across his face.

"We did just basically ruin a batch of cookies..."

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A little over an hour later, a new batch of cookies sat cooling on the table, and Patton's father had left out the back door, as he usually did. Patton waved at him, watching him disappear. Then the reality of the situation hit him.

He was alone. In the house. Without someone to make sure he was okay.

The panic set in quickly as he looked around. Anything could happen. He could be trapped in the house. He could get attacked. Or worse, the curse could start while his father was away, and Patton wouldn't be able to contact his father.

Maybe the curse was setting in now, he thought as he took a step back into the house, quickly closing the door, and rubbing his head. Had that headache always been there? Or was it a symptom? What were the symptoms his dad had gone over with him before? Had he made sure his dad had his toothbrush?

"You're panicking." He said aloud to himself, quietly. His voice was calmer than he felt. "It's okay. It's normal. Just take a deep breath." He continued, coaching himself through calming down. He was used to that type of panic. It wasn't normal, he knew that, but living with a curse, one that had taken your mother away from you, was hard. And there had to be some level of anxiety. He had gotten pretty good at talking himself down.

Once he had calmed himself down, he walked to the kitchen, grabbing a cookie and taking the extra cookie jar his father had hidden in a different room just in case Patton broke another one. He started putting the other cookies into the jar, keeping his mind at bay. He kept three out, realizing that he was pretty hungry. Then he glanced over at the window, not really looking for the other boys, but was surprised when he saw them. There were multiple new people outside as well, all crowding around. Not around his house, which was practically a miracle, but there seemed to be exited and nervous chittering. Patton took a deep breath, before making a decision. 

He grabbed his dad's long grey cloak, smoothing out his light blue shirt. The cloak was oversized, it would pretty much choke him if he used the clasps, but it had two strips on either side that had been ripped when his father had gotten them stuck under the couch before they moved it. He tied those around his neck instead, making sure they held. It only dragged behind him a little, so he decided it was fine. He opened the door slowly.

The crowd didn't seem to notice as Patton took a step outside. It was really one of the first times when Patton had been out in his front yard in daylight, and he couldn't contain his excitement as he quickly stepped out onto the grass, walking by the gate. It was high enough that most people wouldn't be able to see him unless they looked. But then there was a set of eyes on him, he could feel it, and he turned his head. One of the three boys... no, that was the boy who had had the interview earlier, was staring. Patton didn't know what to do until he looked over the group again. There was another figure, tall with a hat on, arms folded. The rest of the small gang of people didn't seem to realize Patton was there, which he was grateful for.

"All I'm saying is," The new person started. "It isn't normal for people to swarm in these areas. And the few people who told us to come here were saying something about riches and power, so this is obviously some sort of trap."

"So then remind me why you rushed us over here?" The one in the dark cloak with the hood grumbled, folding his arms.

"Because this might be important. There's something wrong with this entire thing." Newbie rolled his eyes. 

"Logan?" The one in the mask asked, turning to the boy with glasses.

"Yes?" The boy with glasses turned back to the group from looking at Patton, and Patton shivered. He had forgotten the boy, probably Logan was still looking at him. 

"What do you think? You're a smart guy, right?" Logan sighed and straightened his ascot.

"I think that people are easily excited by the promise of a deal or riches. People enjoy getting things out of interactions. I believe that whatever we are here for isn't going to be good." He paused. "I also believe that the house we were talking about earlier isn't actually haunted." Patton tensed, taking a few steps back.

"What do you mean?" The one with the hood quickly looked back at the house. "It just looks darker now. If anything, it looks more haunted."

"Logan went inside, so he must have the most knowledge of this!" The one with the mask points out.

Wait, people thought his house was haunted? Did someone die in the house? Was he a ghost? He couldn't be what they were talking about, right?

"That isn't what I mean. We know that the father of the house left today, but I believe his son is in the yard next to us, so please keep your comments to a minimum." All heads turned to scan the yard, and Patton winced. One by one they each saw him, and he gave a small wave.

"H...hi?" Patton bit his lip. The one in the mask was practically vibrating with excitement, he could see that now that he was facing him, the one in the hood had already taken a few steps back, but the masked boy had an arm around his waist, keeping him within a certain distance. The one in the hat had raised an eyebrow, instantly interested. "I'm Patton. What's... uh... what's going on? I saw people outside... and usually, dad wouldn't let me come out to see... but I..." He cut himself off, laughing awkwardly.

"I was taking this one home when someone rushed up to us saying that we needed to come quickly, that someone was going to offer everyone in certain areas money and power and stuff. We went to his house, came back here, and now we're waiting." The one in the mask explained, and the one in the hood huffed.

"Oh!" Patton nodded as if he understood. He didn't.

"We aren't sure what's going on. Someone told us to be here." Logan rolled his eyes at the one in the mask, holding out his hand. "My name is Logan, I believe I saw you in the house? Your father didn't mention two sons, so I'm assuming that you were who I saw." Patton blushed. This boy was the same age as him, and his father really expected Logan to take better care of Patton then he would take care of himself. He paused for a moment before taking the hand extended to him. He shook it quickly, before retracting his hand back into the gate.

"I'm Roman!" The boy in the mask was oddly proud of the name, straightening a little. Patton furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's a nice name!" Patton said, smiling awkwardly.

"For someone who's trying to hide your identity," The one in the cape muttered, "You really aren't doing a great job of keeping it secret."

"Oh shut up, Emo Nightmare." But Patton noticed Roman's hand on the nervous one's waist and smiled. They must be dating!

"What identity are you keeping secret?" Patton tilted his head.

"This moron is the prince." Cape rolled his eyes, pointing at him with his thumb. Patton gasped.

"What?" He thought back on how his dad told him to treat royalty if he were ever in the presence of one. He quickly bowed, laughing awkwardly. "I'm so sorry!"

"No, please. It's okay." The one in the mask finally let go of the other boy's waist, waving his hands, shaking his head. "I'm just walking around, trying to meet new friends." Patton brightened, before nodding.

"Well, I'm glad you found me! I'm also looking to make some friends!" Patton noticed the other two. "What are your names?"

"You may call me Deceit, and this is Anxiety." Patton was confused.

"Are those your names?" He tilted his head.

"No. But it is what you can call us by." Deceit smiled without any sort of feeling and straightened his hat. "And if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now. I need to catch up with and fill in the others." Anxiety drew in a breath, folding his arms and shooting daggers at Deceit. "I'll be right back." And Deceit disappeared into the crowd. Patton watched as Anxiety seemed to move closer to Roman, almost as if he didn't realize, it, and Roman once again put his arm around Anxiety's waist.

Patton studied each of them, starting with Roman. He was taller, with dark skin and red curly hair that seemed to take over his head. Anxiety had darker skin with dark hair that was tied back with a purple ribbon. Logan was pale and blonde with hair that flopped in front of his eyes. He thought about his own appearance. He was pale, but that was to be expected from staying inside all the time, with wavy brown hair.

"So, how long have you-"

"Well well well. It seems that my message certainly has spread." And there was a loud booming voice above them as a woman materialized. Patton gasped, taking a few steps back. Was this a normal thing that happened? He didn't remember this happening before they moved. "I'm almost impressed." The woman was tall and broad, her hair was green, short, and curly. She had a smirk on her face and sparkling green eyes that were too bright to be natural in any way. Her eyes swept the crowd and landed on Roman, and her eyebrow raised. "Almost. I am surprised I got royalty outside the cushy castle. I did manage to get rid of those pesky runes though." All eyes turned to the royal in the mask, and she laughed. "Well, I suppose that's to be expected. Prince Roman." She said, her voice dropping on the boy's name. Roman pushed Anxiety behind him.

"Who are you and what do you want?" His hand was shaking.

"You aren't my prince, darling. I don't have to tell you anything. But you aren't what I'm here for." She turned around, closing her eyes and she began to glow. 

One by one, everyone around them fell to their knees. Then groups of people, all falling almost in a pattern. Patton noticed the one who called himself Deceit also falling down with a surprised cry, everyone in the same position. One hand in front, one hand behind their back, face down. Almost as if they were bowing. People continued to fall and Patton watched, feeling helpless behind the gates. He hadn't realized he was making a noise, practically drowned out by the others screaming, until he put a hand over his mouth. The circle continued until everyone was kneeling. 

Well, everyone but... but the four of them.

Anxiety was bracing himself, trying to breathe but Patton could tell it was shakey. Roman had one arm in front of him as if he could slash at whatever it was that was forcing people to kneel. Patton hadn't noticed the sword, but now it was gleaming, halfway out of the sheath. Logan had taken a step back, hand on his ascot, eyes closed, but not panicked. And Patton was physically shaking, one hand over his own mouth, trying not to cry.

"Now then-" She held up her hands as beams of light began to gather on certain people's backs. She smirked as they started to move to her, but then they quickly diverted, each barreling into the four who were still standing. They hit each one of their chests, a red one hitting Roman, a dark blue one hitting Logan, a dark purple one hitting Anxiety, and a light blue one barreling towards Patton. As soon as they hit, they all disappeared. The boys flinched, and Patton felt a warm glow in his stomach. Was that the curse? Not now, please not now!

The woman turned to see the four of them still standing, and her eyes widened. "So." She stalked towards them, a cat who had just caught sight of a family of mice, with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "I hadn't realized that you four would be a problem. Don't worry. I'll deal with you myself."


	6. The Witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Fighting, magic wounds, battle with a witch, mentions of confusing magic, and as with all my chapters, a whole bunch of panicking. I promise I'll stop with the panicking soon. Also, I rewrite certain verses to Soldier Poet King because I love that song

Roman felt shakey all over. His eyes were wide and there was something almost like static in his gut. He couldn't grab onto the feeling, it was just there, making him slightly on edge. He grabbed his sword with both hands, trying not to show how scared he was. But he was scared, and the woman looming above them seemed to know.

"This should be easy." She smirked, leaning forward before each of the four began to float. Roman's sword dropped to his side, clattering on the stone below them. Patton was making that half-squeal half-scream noise again, Logan was muttering something under his breath, and Anxiety seemed to have completely locked up as if someone had hit pause on a face of pure fear. "Now, which one should I kill first?" This was the first time Roman had actually thought he was going to die. He was usually safe in the castle, usually with people whose job it was to protect him. He had never been in a situation where someone was threatening him without being persecuted directly after. And he could say for sure that he did NOT enjoy the feeling.

"Eeny," She pointed at Patton who whimpered. "Meeny," Next was Logan, staying still, continuing to mumble something under his breath. "Miney," She pointed at Anxiety who closed his eyes tightly. "Moe." She smiled as she pointed, her finger now alight with energy, directly at Roman. "Goodbye, little royal."

"Esseray!" A voice called from behind the woman, and she turned, the finger going out, and Roman dared to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well, well, well." The woman said dryly. "It appears that you survived my last trap." She hovered over to them, leaning in close. "Barely. I can tell you're at the least of your power."

"You won't beat us." The woman laughed, deep and haunting.

"Oh, sweetling." She stopped, looking at the other... child? Roman thought it was a child. Looking them dead in the eyes. "I already have." She waved her hand, and they all fell back. Roman could see the group better now. There was a smaller girl, the leader obviously, the one who spoke up first, who was bloody and bruised. She was holding a large sword in her hand. There was another person next to her, short hair that covered their eyes, holding a violin, and the last was a boy who looked just tired, clutching something too small to see in his own hands. "I'll kill you now. It'll be quick and painless, you are hero's after all. You deserve it." She leaned forward, holding out a hand before-

"There will come a royal," The one with the hair covering their eyes started to sing, and the others seem relieved.

"NO!" The witch roared, turning back to the group.

"Once they start a prophecy, they can't stop. You know that." The witch slashed at the girl who just spoke, causing her to jump back, knocking into the boy.

"Who carries a mighty sword!" They grin, and begin hovering in the air. "They will slay your curse away, my lord, oh lie, oh lay. Oh lord, oh lie, oh lay, my lord. They will slay your curse away, my lord oh lie oh lay." And something warm pricked inside Roman. But unlike the static, which was still there, this was comforting. Soft, sweet. Almost as if someone was giving him a hug. Without realizing, Roman had lifted his hand, and there was a ball of fire. It shot out at the witch, who screeched, turning back to the four, still floating in the air, but Roman wasn't being held up by her anymore. He was in control. And he liked that feeling.

"No!" The witch screamed again, turning to point a finger again at Roman, shooting lightning at him, but Roman's instinct made him dodge out of the way.

"There will come a prisoner who is and so much more, with a choice, they raise their voice, oh lay oh lie my lord. Oh lay, oh lie, oh lay, my lord. With their choice they raise their voice, oh lay oh lie, my lord!" Out of the corner of his eye, Roman saw Anxiety relax, maybe for the first time since they met each other. As his eyes opened, they almost shone with dark purple energy, and that was when Roman realized that the other two were staring at them. When Roman looked confused, Patton mouthed something at him. 'Red.' Were his eyes glowing red? He couldn't help but smile at this.

"I will destroy you all!" She turned around, shooting at the person who continues to sing. The bolt seemed to bounce right off their skin, and they kept going. Roman turned back to Anxiety to say something, but he was gone.

"There will come a genius whose soul is weak and worn, with his mind, he'll make you blind, oh lay oh lie my lord. Oh lay, oh lie, oh lay, my lord. With his mind, he'll make you blind, oh lay, oh lie, my lord." And at this, while Roman was watching, Logan seemed to relax, his eyes glowing a deep, dark blue. He seemed a little surprised, but he took a few steps in one direction, and a spectral book appeared under him, allowing him to stand.

"Stop! Stop it, I'll kill your friends!" The witch seemed to be growing desperate.

"You're going to do that anyway. This way, the world has a chance." The girl spat, 

"There will come an artist whose weapon is his words, cursed to roam, they'll find their home, oh lay oh lie my lord, oh lay, oh lie, my lord. Cursed to roam, they'll find their home, oh lay oh lie..." They took a deep breath, looking back to the witch. Roman glanced at Patton, who's eyes were sparkling a bright blue, looking at the others with almost a grin as his hand lit up.

"Think about this, please, don't do it! I can give you power, I can give you riches beyond your wildest dreams." The witch begged.

"They will slay your curse away, oh lay oh lie, oh go!" And with that, there was a bright light as the music began to play in Roman's head. He held up his hands covering his eyes as the music filled his mind until there was nothing left.

When he opened his eyes, he looked around. The witch was still there but holding her head. Anxiety was on the floor behind a group of citizens, holding out his hand, aimed at the woman's head. Patton was hovering in the air above the others, his hands alight with magic, Logan was standing on a spectral book, his glasses making his eyes look brighter and bigger than they probably were, and Roman realized that his own hands were clasped onto a sword made of fire. He didn't drop it as he expected. The flames were hot, but a comfortable hot, not like he was holding fire. But he was holding fire. This was weird.

"You all will pay for that. I'll kill each and every one of you." But as she turned to the group of four, almost all of which were hovering with glowing eyes and magic, she quickly turned back around. "At least I can deal with you lot." And she held up her hand, shooting a bolt of lightning into the group of three, before disappearing with a soft voice on the wind. "I'll be back. When I am, I promise you, I'll make you pay."

As soon as she was gone, the three of them dropped. Not because they meant to, but because they seemed not to have any control over what was happening. There was a moment of stunned silence before the screaming started. People from all over the kingdom were running, screaming their heads off. People tried to cast magic and freaking out more when it didn't work. Soon, most people were gone, leaving only a few stragglers who were staring at the group who were just glowing.

"Are you okay?" Roman ran over to the group of people laying on the floor with their eyes closed. They were hurt. Badly. Logan ran over to the gate, Patton had fallen inside and opened the door.

"I can't!" Patton shook his head. "Dad told me not to leave the gate."

"Patton, this is an emergency. I'm sure your father won't mind if you leave for a few seconds." Logan held out a hand and Patton looked at it for a few moments before taking it. He was practically yanked through the crowd of crazed people, where Anxiety, Deceit, and Roman were all standing next to the badly wounded... children. They were children. The witch had tried to kill children.

"That was... harder than I thought it would be." The boy coughed, holding out a hand to the girl who slapped it away.

"The only reason," She got up by herself, sighing and wincing in pain, "We got out of there alive was because of me, so you better be grateful." She nearly fell again, but Roman quickly caught her.

"Who are you?" Anxiety asked, folding his arms.

"That's Lucien," The girl pointed to the person with the hair in front of their eyes, the one that was singing, and they waved a little. "That's Arthur, and I'm Olivia." She shook her head. "And you all wouldn't happen to be healers, would you?" She bit her lip, nervously.

"I'm not out of spells..." Lucien said quietly, but Olivia held up a hand.

"I want to see, don't rain on my parade." Olivia rolled her eyes before they landed on Patton. "You... you look like a healer." Patton's eyes widened, and he shook his head.

"I don't think-"

"Just try?" Arthur walked over to the group. "It doesn't work unless you try." Patton squeezed his eyes shut, and held out a hand. The rest watched as it touched Olivia's forehead, and light blue magic seemed to wrap around her in slow motion, licking at her wounds and healing them.

"Well, that's much better." She grinned. "Glad to know that you all have a healer with you."

At this point, the area around them was basically empty. Everyone was freaking out, but freaking out somewhere else, which made them all feel a little better. Lucien closed their eyes and sighed.

"I'm sure you all can figure out what happened from here, come on, we need to go back home." They tugged on Olivia's sleeve.

"Wait! What?" Roman 

"I can explain quickly, but we do have to go. It's really up to you all now, we passed on the prophecy." Arthur explained as Olivia was dragged away.

"Arthur?" She called.

"Coming!" He yelled back, before turning to them. "Esseray has been stealing kingdom's magic for a while, she's been doing it for a few years now with smaller towns, but wanted to try this one. There was something preventing her magic from getting to you, so instead of her stealing all the magic, the magic chose you. It's a curse on this kingdom, and the only way to get rid of it and return the magic is to kill the witch." He patted Roman's shoulder. 

"Arthur!" Olivia yelled, hands on her hips. "We really have to leave!" Arthur held up his hands.

"Good luck, you four. May we meet again." Arthur ran over to the two who were waiting for him, and they disappeared into a flash of light.

"What was that?" Anxiety nearly shrieked, taking a step back.

"Well... I mean, you all know the fundamentals of magic, correct?" Logan ventured, and Roman, Deceit, and Anxiety nodded. Patton just shook his head. "Alright, it's kind of complicated, but I will do my best to explain. Tell me if something stops making sense." Patton nods, wringing his hands.

"When the gods created humans, they made it so that certain humans would be born with a gift for controlling magic. They did this because there was a surplus of magic, and just like with matter, magic cannot be created or destroyed, just harnessed. Am I still with you?" Patton nodded but still looked a little confused. 

"There is a certain amount of magic in a place. What ended up happening was that the more people who were chosen by magic, the less powerful those who had it before became. Some mages believe that there are ways to transfer magic from person to person, but no one yet has been able to accomplish that. And, on the opposite end, if someone is killed who was chosen by magic, everyone within a certain hierarchy will become a little more powerful." He paused and Patton nodded again, seeming to understand a little more.

"This has led certain power-hungry mages to go around murdering people who have the ability to use magic. Though I assume a lot of murder would probably be unhealthy for the person and for their soul, and certain mages have also theorized that people aren't born with the ability necessarily, magic can choose who can wield it. Sometimes, it just depends on the morality of the people. Power-hungry mages tend to have darker magic, while people who fight and hunt those mages tend to have lighter, more heroic magic." Patton held up a hand. "Yes?"

"Ok, so... you're saying that that woman was a witch trying to kill us for magic?" He seemed concerned.

"It's my belief based on the knowledge that we have access too that she was one of those people, but someone who didn't want the ramifications of killing people. So she made a spell to take magic from people by force. It is also my understanding that at least three of us were under the effects of an anti-magic rune, which is my theory on why we weren't affected." Now everyone looked confused, turning to Logan.

"I wasn't, I know that for sure." Deceit rolled his eyes.

"Roman's mask has a rune imbued somewhere, my father's work just in case we saw a royal in our shop. It also has some sort of cloaking rune as well, so if someone tried to find it, nothing would come up. It was mainly just so we felt we were making a difference, we never actually expected to see one of the royal family." And now that Logan pointed it out, there was a symbol in the forehead with gems that seemed to be in almost a rune formation, and Roman felt a strange sort of pride. They wanted to keep him safe. "Patton's gate had the same strange mix of protection runes and cloaking runes, I assume going all the way around, protecting the house from evil magic, and my ascot has a protection rune, though I must admit, it came this morning, which was rather convenient." The group seemed to process this before all eyes turned to Anxiety. 

"Anxiety?" Roman quipped.

"Virgil." Anxiety said quietly, rubbing his arm, not meeting anyone's gaze. 

"Virgil?" Roman asked, tilting his head. Deceit huffed, folding his arms.

"My name. We just went through... whatever that was together, I'd prefer it if you called me by my name." Virgil's voice was small, and he looked at his shoes.

"Alright, Virgil. Do you know of any sort of rune that would have kept the spell from affecting you?" Virgil hesitated for a second before Deceit stepped in.

"We saw a picture drawn on the walls that a guard was taken down. I copied it onto a piece of paper, and Virgil and I have been doodling it on our clothing. Maybe that's what it was." Deceit shrugged.

Was that really how it worked? Roman scratched his head, unsure of what to say next. He hadn't really been good with magic, Reannon was the one who seemed to have the gift in their family. He usually would zone out when she started telling him about everything in her books, not really caring enough to pay attention. The royal mages, which Reannon probably would be one day, would handle keeping him safe with runes. Roman turned to Logan, who nodded.

"That makes sense." Roman shifted his weight, and Deceit smiled, leaning back on his foot.

"Of course it does." Deceit folded his arms, before pausing. "Wait, Virgil- Uh..." Deceit closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Tell me a lie." Virgil didn't hesitate

"My mother's name is Linda." Deceit's face went cold.

"I know you're lying, but not because... not because..." Deceit opened his eyes. "The feeling is gone."

"What feeling?" Logan leaned forward, his eyes glinting, but not with magic.

"Usually, I can tell when someone is lying to me. It was the magic that I possessed." Deceit paused. "It's gone. I think you four are the only ones who can cast magic in the whole kingdom."


	7. The Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Little panic this time, I know I know, there's a lot of panics. But stay with me, please, it'll be worth it. Also, really reaLLY bad pick up lines, mentions of Remus, and an odd combination of the two.

Virgil had nearly gotten rid of the voice. The small gentle tone in the back of his mind. He wasn't crazy, he knew that much, but when he had told Janus about it before... well to say that he was worried was an understatement. Then there came the part of the poem that was clearly meant for him, and there was the voice again.

'Let me help you.' Time seemed to slow before him, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"No. Leave me alone."

'Virgil, please.' And he felt a hand on his shoulder. There was no one there. 

"I told you to leave me alone!" Virgil shrugged him off, pushing the voice away. He had tried this before, and it didn't work.

'Don't repress me, Virge. You and I both know it won't work.' The voice called, calm, and collected as ever. It annoyed Virgil to no end. 

"I don't trust you," Virgil muttered, folding his arms. And still, everything around him was almost moving in slow motion.

'Virgil, I helped you just now. You aren't getting rid of me that easily.' Virgil's eyes widened.

"You're the reason that spell didn't work?" Unlike the others, Virgil felt it. The tug downwards, the need to kneel. To give up power. And yet there was a voice in the back of his skull, the little tug keeping him standing. It had told him no. Told him he wasn't giving up that easily. That he had made a deal. And it told him all of this without saying a single word. 

'I am your protector. That was the deal. You remember, don't you?' Virgil did remember. A child curled up in an alleyway, scared and alone as a fire roared in his ears. And then he looked up and there was a boy about his age, holding out a hand.

'Are you alright?'

'No.'

'Let me help you?'

"I made the deal when I was a child." Vigil said, mouth in a stubborn line.

'And yet, when I have given you the option to terminate our agreement, you have come running back to me. I've given you so many chances, Virgil. But now we are here. And if you don't know how to control your power, it will overtake you.' The hand on his shoulder, but this time more solid. 'Let me help you.'

Virgil didn't say anything, but the voice seemed to smile, taking it for what it was. A reluctant agreement.

He had lied to the people around him because what else was he supposed to do? Explain to them what happened years ago? Deceit was the only one he's told, they had known each other for years and even he thought Virgil was insane, he promised not to say anything. He was relieved that Janus was able to jump in and save him when the question of what happened came up. They had always been partners in crime, Janus being one of the first people Virgil had met after the deal he had made. Janus was someone who was talented at magic. He had taught Virgil some of what he knew after Virgil begged him to help get what he could do naturally under control. His main ability since Virgil had known him was to tell when people were lying, hence the nickname Deceit. 

But something was wrong. Really wrong. Janus couldn't feel the lies out like he used to. There was a silence that hung over practically everyone now, the weight of what Janus just said settling over the group like a too-heavy blanket.

"What do you mean?" Roman was the first to say anything, his voice quieter than before.

"What do you mean what do I mean?" Janus folded his arms, his voice measured and cool to anyone else, but he was freaking out. Virgil could tell. He could always tell.

"It shouldn't be possible for one person to be able to handle all the magic in the kingdom," Logan spoke up, his eyes distant and cloudy, thinking hard. 

"One person, sure. One person can't handle the power. But..." Janus shifted his weight back on his heels, rolling his eyes. "Four people can. And you can't tell me that you weren't using magic just then, I know you were. I don't need magic for that." The group looked at each other.

"I've never been able to use magic before..." Roman said softly and Patton nodded.

"Neither have I. And I tried." The two turned to Logan and Virgil, the first of which shook his head.

"My father used to be very good at inscribing magical runes into things, he tended to do it in secret, but he isn't my biological father, and the ability to cast magic tends to be a trait passed down through blood." Logan adjusted his ascot, before looking at Virgil.

Was he really the only one who knew about magic? Logan seemed smart and probably read about that stuff, but it didn't change the fact that, once again, Virgil was the odd one out. He had paused for long enough so that his answer was fairly obvious.

"I wasn't very good." He looked at the ground, trying not to kick at the dirt. "But I had the ability." He looked up and smiled awkwardly, not enjoying the feeling of all eyes on him.

"What are you all going to do?" Janus interrupted, and gods bless that boy.

"What do you mean?" Roman asked, folding his arms.

"The kingdom's magic rests in you four. The boy said it all, to break whatever stupid curse is now on the kingdom, someone has to kill the witch. And magic against brute strength never goes well." Janus points out. The others seemed to come to terms with this idea, and Virgil swallowed. He didn't like where this was going.

"Well..." Patton started.

"If that's really what needs to be done, I have a responsibility to this kingdom to go and do what needs to be done." He turns to the others. "I would hope you would join me. I know we don't know each other very well, but it would be nice to have someone there to see my exploits." He lifted his chin proudly and Virgil had the sudden urge to punch him.

"Well... my dad isn't here for a while..." Patton grinned. "And I've always wanted to go on an adventure! I could write amazing poems about everything we do!" Patton giggled, clapping his hands. Virgil caught Logan staring at the excited boy with a look of pure awe on his face, before he closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"I suppose. I do also have a responsibility to this kingdom, though my father won't be happy about it." Logan adjusted his glasses and Virgil groaned softly.

"I'm not gonna be the odd one out." He grumbled. He didn't have anything better to do, he decided. And by the way Janus was looking at him, he wanted him to go as well. "And also, I want to be there to record Princey over here failing." The look on Romans' face and the noise he made practically smothered the ball of anxiety rising in his gut.

"How dare you, I'm going to prove you wrong. I will fight the witch and I will win!" Roman put his hands on his hips, leaning forward with just his torso, which made Patton giggle.

"Should we meet back here tonight? I need some time to get away from my father." Logan got them back on topic. Virgil sighed, knowing he would probably have to do that a lot. 

"Wait... so we're really doing this?" Patton blinked, eyes wide. "I mean... I've never been outside for this long before, not in a few years at least." Patton bit his lip.

"We can protect you, padre!" Roman nodded with a huge grin. "And don't worry. I'm sure he won't mind once he realizes you're with the prince saving the kingdom." Patton laughed awkwardly.

"I think he'd be a little angrier than you'd expect." He winced slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. He was sort of cute, Virgil decided. In an awkward way, of course, but there was a certain charm he had. It made him seem like a lost puppy who just became human. Virgil shook his head, turning back to Janus, who was gone. His shoulders slumped. He had gone back home, hadn't he.

"Hey, where did Deceit go?" Roman asked, following Virgil's eyes.

"Home most likely." Virgil shifted. "If you really want to meet here tonight, I'll be here after dark." 

"Until then," Logan jumped in. "We should try to figure out what exactly our abilities are. It will be easier for everyone if we are able to know a part of what we all can do." Virgil watches as the others nod, and he follows suit. He doesn't really have to figure it out, he knows. The voice will tell him.

'Of course, I will. Don't worry, Virgil. I'll take care of you.' There was an almost comforting presence behind him, like someone put a hand on his back, rubbing it softly. But then he blinked and it was gone. 

"-meet here tonight." Roman was saying, but Virgil didn't hear the beginning. He nodded with the others before Logan turned and walked away. He must have missed some closing remark, but he didn't really mind, as Patton turned to walk to his house. Virgil had turned away, but Roman held out an arm.

"What?" Virgil gave him a look.

"You just agreed to me walking you home." Roman raised an eyebrow at Virgil. "That's what the plan was. Logan and Patton go home, try a few things, and pack a bag, I walk you home and then sneak back into the castle, and we all meet here tonight."

"R-Right." Virgil stammered out, looking away. "You promise you won't make it weird?" Roman put a hand to his chest.

"I would never!" But Roman's grin said otherwise. Virgil carefully linked his arm with Roman's who slowly began walking them in the direction of home. By how slowly they were walking, it would be dark when they got there. Which would probably give Roman a reason to walk him back, which made Virgil want to gag. He was a gentleman, sure, but Virgil didn't need a gentleman to make sure he got home safe. He just needed to be alone. Virgil glanced up at the sky, checking. Nope, it was still early noon. He was overreacting.

Roman couldn't hear this inner monologue but kept looking over at Virgil.

"Is there something wrong, Sir Sing-A-Lot?" Virgil glanced at the ground, trying not to squirm under Roman's hesitant but intense gaze.

"You look like a dream." Roman grinned at him, and Virgil had to remind himself how to walk, his abrupt stop leaving Roman slightly pulling ahead before he realized Virgil had stopped. "Sorry was that too-"

'Tell him to go back to sleep.' The voice giggled in his head and Virgil, without really thinking about it, complied. 

"Then go back to sleep." As soon as he realized what he had just said, Virgil's face started to burn, and he took a sudden interest in the stone under his feet and not at the prince in front of him that he might have just insulted.

"What?" Virgil was not looking at the prince he was not looking at the prince he was nOT LOOKING AT THE PRINCE HE WAS NOT- "That was one of the best things ever." Virgil couldn't help but glance up again, his face hot.

"W-what do you mean?" Roman laughed, throwing his head back, his curls falling out of his face. The fading light illuminated his face in almost a heavenly glow, and Virgil had to look away again. 

"I've never had that response before." Roman looked down at Virgil.

"So you've tried that line on a lot of people?" There was a small feeling in his stomach, jealousy, but Virgil tried to ignore it. 

"Not really. Just the people around the castle. A few princes and princesses who visited, and some of the staff." He shrugged. "I never got a reaction like that."

"Sorry, I'm not what you were expecting." Roman turned to Virgil, one eyebrow raised.

"Don't be sorry. Sorry, would mean I didn't enjoy it." Roman winked and Virgil was not going to make eye contact. He wouldn't give the prince the satisfaction of watching him blush. 

"S-sorry." Virgil stuttered out, before realizing how cheesy and dumb he sounded.

"Virgil." Roman's voice was playful and light, almost teasing.

"Right." Virgil didn't look up at Roman, but walked forward a little, a sign for them to keep moving. Roman seemed to agree, moving along with him.

"Did I go too far?"

"No. I'm sorry, I just... I don't really talk to people that much." Virgil rubs his arm. "So... I'm sorry if I'm awkward."

"Don't be. It's kind of cute." Roman grinned, and Virgil tried not to blush. He was pretty sure he succeeded by thinking of how he acted with the others. This was probably just how he acted around people in general. "But you're fine with me saying that stuff?" Virgil laughs.

"As long as you're okay with me turning you down." He folded his arms. 

"Perfect." And suddenly, Roman was picking Virgil up, one arm around his neck and one arm around his legs, bridal style. Virgil squeaked and wrapped his arms around Roman's neck.

"What are you doing?" Virgil yelped, his eyes wide. Roman was surprisingly strong. 

"Well, your legs must be tired from running through my dreams." Roman grinned at him. "And you can't say the go back to sleep line to that." He winked. This time, Virgil didn't need the voice's advice.

"Yeah, it's pretty tiring haunting your nightmares." His voice came off as casual and calm, but each word he spoke was measured. Carefully planned out in something he was sure Logan would be proud, even though they had only spoken in passing or with small talk. There was that laugh again, halfway between a chuckle and something that sounded more genuine. From anyone else, it would seem like they were mocking him. But for some reason, it filled Virgil with a strange satisfaction.

"If I said your body was beautiful, would you hold it against me?" Virgil's eyes widened, and Roman grinned at his reaction.

"Depends. If I said I wanted to check out your ass would you turn and walk away?" Virgil tried, this time a little more outwardly calculated. Roman rewarded him with another one of those strange laughs.

"I'll be honest, that's more something my brother would have said. And has said. Not to me, of course, but to some other boys who've come through our kingdom." Virgil squirmed in the prince's arms, and Roman seemed to get the hint, putting him down and letting him walk beside him. It was almost calming, this back and forth. Virgil dared to hope it would last. And at least they were walking faster now, they might get home in time for Virgil to get more answers.

"That's a cute cloak." Virgil paused, noticing the slight change in tone to something a little more flirty. He waited for a few seconds before Roman winked. "It would look better on my bedroom floor."

"Nice sash." Virgil started.

"Thank you, the maids worked really hard on i-"

"It would look nice shoved down your throat." Virgil didn't make eye contact, realizing how it could be taken the wrong way, but Roman just laughed again. That laugh was becoming somewhat addicting, and if Virgil weren't trying to process what the hell just happened, because seriously, what the hell had just happened, he would have distanced himself immediately. But that addicting feeling was good.

"That was good." Roman gave him a nod which would have been proper if there weren't tears in his eyes. Virgil took that as a good thing.

"Let me guess. Another one you stole from Remus." Roman nodded.

"We share a room. And yes, it's a huge castle, we like sharing a room." Roman commented as Virgil opened his mouth to say something. Virgil shut it, looking away, embarrassed. "Sometimes, I'll read him my cheesy romance novels. He's always had a taste for things a little more..." Roman trailed off.

"Spicy?" Virgil offered.

"Yes, spicy would probably be our preferred word for it." Roman laughed, but this one was different. Quieter. More secret. Like he would laugh if no one was around. "So, when we got old enough, we used to take turns reading books, usually romance. And he would end up making up make-out scenes, which was hilarious because neither of us had been kissed when he started doing it, so each scene was more insane than the next, and there was always some cheesy and gross pick up line." Virgil nodded. He didn't have siblings, but it was nice to hear Roman talking about his brother. There was a gleam in his eye that Virgil thought was fondness.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, before arriving at a small, seemingly abandoned house. 

"This is me." Virgil wasn't sure why he said it. Roman had dropped him off before. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen the place.

"I'm aware, Emo Nightmare." Roman laughed. "I'll see you tonight.

"Yeah. See you tonight." Virgil echoed, before quickly walking inside without looking back at Roman.

'Now, Virgil.' And the voice was back, whispering in his ear. 'This is where the fun begins.'


	8. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Things get a liittle spicy near the end, nothing bad, but just a small bit of teasing, adorable Logan, Roman, and Logan getting along, let's hope it lasts.

Logan knows that as soon as any of them stop to think, as soon as they slow down a little or stop spreading ahead to make a plan, that they would all be screwed. That they would realize what was going on, and they would all freak the fuck out. He knew, somewhere in the rational part of his brain that just wanted to take a deep breath and process what was happening, that he was just delaying the inevitable, but this was one of the only times in his life that he really REALLY wanted to ignore that part of his brain. 

His two bags were in his room, open on the bed. His dad was still in his room, probably reading, and hadn't heard Logan come in, which was probably going to be easier for all of this. One for clothing, and one that was enchanted to hold more than it looked. In that one, Logan packed a chest of smaller supplies that he thought he would need, and almost all of his books. Packing them up added a small amount of finality to the whole thing that was almost comforting.

When he was done with his bag of books, making sure it was secure and that nothing would fall out, he sat on the bed, glancing out the window. He went through his mental list again. He liked lists.

He had packed all of his clothing, and he was still wearing his binding equipment which made him feel a little better, and he had made sure to keep his medicine in the bag at all times. He had packed money, though he was sure Roman would probably bring some, and had, at the last moment, decided to bring what small camping equipment they had in the house. The group would probably be on the road for more than a few days.

It was at that moment that it really hit Logan. Not how crazy what just happened was or the fact that he would be spending a few days with a few strangers. They were cute, he decided, in varying degrees, but they were still strangers. What hit him right in the stomach was that he didn't know where they were going. They had all just jumped on the wagon without setting up a destination.

That was when he had an idea. When the bolt of dark blue light had hit him in the chest, there was a moment of clarity for him. He enjoyed feeling that way like he knew everything in the world. And there was something tugging at the back of his mind. What he had told the group before they left.

"Try to figure out what you can do."

There was a book. He was standing on a solid book before. It was weird, but the pieces in his mind seemed to fit, and he closed his eyes. It was worth a shot either way. It would probably fail, but on the off chance, he was right...

When he opened his eyes, there was a smaller book floating in front of him. It was made of blue and yellow tones of light, nothing bright, but it was enough for Logan. He reached into his bag and got out his recording device, enchanted by his dad before he left.

"Log 104, testing of magic." He spoke into it, setting it down next to him. "In the middle of the day, a witch attacked the kingdom, trying to steal magic. Instead of being successful, I am led to believe that she made four capable enemies, myself being one. We are preparing to go out in search of this witch, and it is my understanding that we are to kill her and give back magic to the people who had it before. That being said, we will need to know what we can do to be successful. It appears that I can create books." He couldn't hide the disappointment and intrigue in his voice. "Which shouldn't surprise me as much as it does. I am going to see if I can open one of the books, and if everything goes as planned, we will also be able to see a map of where we need to go to get to where the witch resides."

With that, Logan took a breath, grabbing pencils and paper around him just in case the book wasn't permanent, and band-aids if something were to go wrong. He hesitantly reached out and touched the cover. It was practically solid, and something about the familiarness of a book made him relax slightly. He carefully opened the cover, and inside he saw a map.

"And I believe my hypothesis is correct." Logan grins, a childish thing that spread across his face like a spilled cup of water on a piece of paper. He took his pencil, sketching out the map he saw inside four times on four different pieces of paper. He put them in a folder, carefully tucking them in his bag of holding. Now they had a destination, which he was more than relieved about. He took the rest of the time to write a note to his father telling him where Logan would be. He hoped he wouldn't worry him too much.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was dark by the time Logan had snuck out. He had his bags and looser travel clothes that wouldn't make him uncomfortable the whole time they were walking. He was, of course, the first one to get there, and waited for the others. Patton came up next, panting with a large bag over his shoulder, and a large jar in his hands completely full of cookies.

"Hey! Logan!" Patton grinned, waving.

"Greetings, Patton. And if you could keep your voice down, I would prefer not to draw too much attention to ourselves." Patton nodded with wide eyes.

"Oh, that's smart." Patton got a little quieter, still smiling at Logan. Logan's chest did a little flip-flop, but he decided to ignore it. Feelings were always easier to manage when he was on his own and able to talk them out. "So, do you think the others will get here soon?"

"Roman will most likely be last, and Virgil will try to be late just in case we leave without him." Logan theorized. 

"Wow!" Patton paused. "Do you know that, or are you just guessing?"

"Mainly guessing. But by Virgil's demeanor, he wasn't as excited to be going on a journey with us, and Roman has to sneak back into and out of the castle. He didn't have his guard with him before, meaning that security will be heightened." A thought passed through Logan's brain, and he put his head in his hands, massaging his temples. "I hope he knows enough to leave a note. The last thing we need is people thinking we kidnapped the prince."

"Hey." Virgil was suddenly standing right next to them, and Patton jumped, squealing. "Whoa, that worked." There was a small grin on his face that none of them had seen before, not even Logan, who had known him for the longest. "I didn't expect that to work."

"Good evening, Virgil." Logan nodded his head in acknowledgment, but Logan himself was a little shaken from the sudden appearance of your friend. "Forgive me for asking, but..." He trailed off, hoping his question was apparent.

"Yeah... I guess I can teleport?" Virgil looked up at Logan, his eyes losing the sparkle almost as if something more guarded was forcing it out.

"Well, that's awesome!" Patton laughed, glancing around. "And there's Roman! I guess you were right, Logan!"

"Right about what?" Roman asked, jogging up to the other three.

"He thought you would be last!" Patton giggled. "Though he also thought it would take longer for you both to get here.

"I will admit, I didn't take into account a teleportation ability..." Logan's brain started to work, equations, and hypothesis scrambling through ways it could benefit them in the long run.

"I don't think I can do it with other people yet..." Virgil rubbed his arm, and it dawned on Logan that maybe he wasn't as interested as Logan was, though he thought that was absurd.

"Of course. We can go over what else you have figured out once we get more comfortable, preferably out of the city." Roman froze. 

"Wait, do we know where we're going?" He glanced around.

"I had that exact same thought, I know where to go." Logan held up one of his bags. "I have a map of how to get to the witch's home."

"You mean evil lair!" Roman put his hands on his hips. "Onward! To adventure!" And he started marching in the opposite direction of the map.

"Roman?" Logan called to the prince.

"Hm?" Roman turned around.

"It's this way." Logan began walking in the opposite direction, following the wall to the gate that was open as it tended to be at night. They took turns sneaking out, Virgil teleporting and again having that small moment of euphoria that Logan had taken note of before. He wondered if that was a side effect of all magic, or just Virgil's.

They set up camp outside of the city quickly near a pile of knocked over trees. Someone else had probably set up camp the night before because the logs were laid out in a circle, and there was a fire pit in the center. The pit was mostly ashes, but they weren't planning on making a fire. Dinner wasn't needed, as Roman, Patton, and Virgil had all eaten before they left. Logan himself wasn't feeling hungry, information taking the place of any need to eat, so they just quickly put up the tents with the other people who were waiting until morning to enter the kingdom. Virgil and Patton fell asleep almost instantly, but as Roman started to get ready for bed as well, Logan shook his head.

"It's better if we were to keep watch. We have things we will need to keep safe. And, while I would agree that sleep is important, it would be much easier to keep watch if there are two of us." Roman paused before sighing.

"Alright, nerd. I'll stay up with you. I suppose it's better than being woken up in the middle of the night to watch." He walked over to stand next to Logan. "Do we want to build a fire?"

"I was actually going to ask you to do that." Logan watched Roman intently.

"Well, how would you want me to do it?" Roman tilted his head at Logan.

"Use the ability you showed earlier in the day, the one where you seemed to be able to control the fire on your blade." Roman frowned.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." Logan paused, glancing up at Roman who was still standing, worry apparent on his face.

"I won't pressure you to do anything, but can I ask why not?" Roman rubbed the back of his neck with a small laugh.

"I guess I'm just a little nervous. I haven't really tried doing anything with my abilities since then, and I'd kind of prefer to wait until we're a little farther away from the city." Logan nodded, and took out one of his cleaner notebooks, writing down a few things.

_Roman: Nervous about his abilities, seems reasonable enough, though will probably end up being a nuisance with his confidence. Hopefully, someone, I do not have to go head to head with._

"What are you writing, teach?" Logan glanced up at Roman, who had sat down now, legs crossed, leaning against a tree.

"I am simply starting my notes on the three of you." Logan wondered, briefly, if that was something that people normally did with new traveling companions.

"Taking notes on us?" Roman raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. Logan briefly realized that the whole point of the watch was pretty much nullified because how was he not going to pay attention to the royal in front of him. Roman didn't seem to be very interested in his surroundings either, his gaze still fixed on Logan, mouth quirked up in an adorable smirk. "Well, I can understand your interest in me, but what do you need to know about the other two?" Logan sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"Well, for starters, Patton seemed to be very codependent, and very emotional. He also seemed like someone who if they don't have some sort of comfort item, or if they don't keep busy, they will end up breaking down." Logan states. Roman's other eyebrow shot up, leaving him with a surprised look. "Virgil also seems the type to run or freak out at the slightest shift in his universe, so I would like to talk to him some tomorrow to help him if something like that ever comes up. And if I have time to myself over the next few days, I could probably see if I could create a book that would help me in the event of a panic attack." Roman paused.

"When we met... was that what it was? I knew he was panicking, and I knew one of my sisters had read a book on what to do if you see someone panic, but..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"He did have a panic attack with you?" Logan's eyes widened and he quickly flipped the page scribbling Virgil's name at the top. "What was your tactic for dealing with it?"

"I just... I asked him to breathe. That's what the book told me to do, anyway." Logan nodded, writing it down, and Roman laughed, almost in awe.

"Alright, so that would work in the case we are faced with one of his panic attacks..." Logan said, more to himself than anything else, before finishing the page and closing the book, looking back up at Roman.

"Well, Sir Nerd's A Lot, what have you figured out about me?" He tilted his head to the side, and the light of the moon spilled down onto his face, giving him an almost heavenly glow. Logan watched as the wind ruffled his hair as if even it couldn't help but check if it was as soft as it looked. Logan swallowed, looking back down at his notebook. The facts were good. He could work with facts.

"You are the oldest of the five royal siblings, meaning that from a very young age, you have had to strive to be better than everyone else." Logan glanced up to see a look of intrigue on Roman's face. "In the past, you felt like everything you did was being watched, so you ended up taking to going out in secret, or with your brother. That mindset has made it an instinct to sneak around places that you are allowed to be." Roman opened his mouth, confused. Logan held up a hand. "I know because whenever you two were missing from the castle, guards would come to the businesses, tell us what you were last seen wearing, and ask us to be kind to you and pretend like we didn't know you were the princes." Logan straightened a little, adjusting his ascot, looking back at his notebook. "I also think you are a narcissistic egomaniac-"

Before the last word left his mouth, Roman was on top of him. Not literally, Roman didn't tackle him to the ground or anything, what he did was worse. He seemed to materialize in front of Logan, putting one hand on the side of the trunk Logan was sitting on, the other hand grabbing his ascot and pulling him forward. Even though Logan was tall, when they were like this, Roman seemed to loom over him, hair falling in his face, a smirk on his lips. He moved so they were inches apart.

"Want to say that again, pretty boy?" His voice was almost a growl, and Logan, for lack of a better word, bluescreened. His heart was pounding, there was a sharp feeling in his stomach he couldn't quite place, his mouth was open, and he was pretty sure that a bright blush was making its way down his chest. But he was able to get over it in almost record time, or at least, what he assumed was record time, closing his mouth and swallowing. He wasn't really able to do anything about the blush.

"I said you were an egomaniac. And I seem to stand corrected." Roman let out a sharp laugh, leaning back, letting go of the trunk Logan was sitting on. Logan was not disappointed. That would be completely illogical. Why would he be disappointed that Roman's lips weren't right there, a single push away?

"You're gonna be fun to mess with." Roman laughed, before looking back at him, genuine worry in his eyes. "Did I go too far? I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything-"

"No!" Logan shook his head a little too hard. "I mean, no." He swallowed again, closing his eyes, trying to get his breathing under control. "I... I kind of liked it." When he opened his eyes again, Roman was grinning from ear to ear. "I just made a huge mistake, didn't I."

"Oh yes, you did." Roman laughed. "But seriously, if I ever go too far, let me know."

"I will." Logan looked back at his notebook, smiling. "I promise."

"Good." They were quiet for most of the rest of their watch, which wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Logan decided that, even though Roman was probably going to be annoying and attention-seeking the entire trip, but Logan liked him. Enough to not want to murder him every time he opened his mouth, at least. And by the way Roman's eyes had been shining when he was teasing him, Roman wouldn't hate Logan either.


	9. The Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: How do I say this without... uh... giving away the chapter. Unsafe decisions? I guess? MAJOR argument at the end that isn't completely justified, Roman, being a clueless idiot.

It wasn't the light that was filtering through Patton's tent that woke him up or the birds that were louder than he expected them to be, it was the chattering of other voices.

"Hey, loves." An unfamiliar voice cut through, and Patton shot upright in his bedroll, feeling for his glasses next to him. As he put them on, he glanced around, a little surprised to find that this wasn't his room. Then everything came flooding back. Virgil was next to him on his own sleeping bag, and Patton had to remind himself why he was here. Why he was outside of his house, outside of his room. Why he was outside. He was outside. That still seemed impossible to him, but his heart gave a little jump at the realization of grass next to him. Grass that he could touch.

"Patton?" Virgil's groggy voice called over to him. "Was that you?"

"No, I think it came from outside," Patton spoke in a whisper, sitting up and stretching.

"Everything alright? You both fell asleep pretty late yesterday. Were you trying to keep watch?" The unfamiliar voice spoke again, laughing lightly. Patton quietly moved part of the front of the tent, glancing out to see Logan and Roman outside around the fire pit.

Roman was still asleep, laying on his side as if he had fallen off the log he had been sitting on. A cloak was tucked over him, and a smaller piece of fabric had been folded and placed under his head. Despite this, his hair was a mess, practically everywhere. Mostly in front of his eyes, which Patton thought was probably a good thing. They couldn't have people recognizing him everywhere they went. 

Logan was practically the opposite. His hair and appearance were mostly intact, his clothing was a little more ruffled and crazy than the night before, his glasses were askew on his nose, and he had probably slid down one of the tree trunks, his head resting against it. He was the one waking up, blinking a few times before sighing.

"Apologies, yes I believe we were. R-" Logan stopped himself. "My friend here fell asleep and I didn't want to wake him, and I suppose I joined him after a moment. Thank you for waking us up, we do need to get going." The woman Logan was talking to laughed and nodded.

"Of course, sweetheart. Go do what you need to do." She paused. "Actually, my family and I just finished up breakfast, we have a few pancakes leftover, enough to feed you and your friend-" She turned to see Patton peeking out of the tent and she smiled. "Your friends." She amended, turning back to Logan. "And I will not see a group of children going unfed." The way she said it meant that there was no real arguing with her. "Alright, get up now, I'll lead you over there." Logan glanced back at Patton, and then to Roman.

"Of course, give us a moment." He gestured for Patton to go back inside the tent. Patton didn't know why, but he did as Logan asked, packing up his sleeping bag.

"Patton?" Virgil rubbed his eyes. It was at this point that Patton seemed to realize the dark bags under Virgil's eyes weren't makeup. He was holding his blanket to his neck, almost hiding even in his half-asleep state, which Patton took as some sort of self-consciousness. "What's going on?" Patton smiled at him, taking his time to look at how absolutely adorable he looked. His hair was a mess, but different from the intentional mess it was the day before. It all fell out of his eyes instead of into his eyes, and there was a softness about him that made Patton's heart almost melt.

"Logan and Roman fell asleep on watch yesterday, but everything's fine. We didn't really expect anything to happen, and nothing did, which was good! But now Logan wants to talk to us because a different really nice lady wants to feed us." Patton filled in, not able to help himself as he smooths some of Virgil's hair out of where it was matted to his forehead. Virgil didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't mind. His eyes were still a little cloudy as he sat up more, taking his cloak and wrapping it around him.

"It's cold..." He mumbled, almost as an excuse. Patton didn't think so, he had actually been warm during the night, but it was obvious that Virgil was still half asleep.

Roman and Logan walked into the tents then, Roman wiping the sleep from his eyes, and sitting down next to Patton. He grabbed his bag that he had put down inside the tent, taking out a comb, and brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"What's wrong, Lo?" Patton asked, tilting his head at the concerned looking boy.

"Should we accept the food from her?" Roman snorted. "It's a perfectly fine question, Roman. A stranger offered us food, you were not doing anything to cover your face or identity, and she wants us to follow her. It could be a setup."

"She didn't seem like she was going to let us say no." Patton pointed out. "And I'm hungry, can't we just go for a few minutes?" He pouted, and Logan sighed.

"We have to be careful, Patton. If we do something that puts one of our lives in danger, we would be ruining the chance that our kingdom could ever get its magic back." Logan paused, his eyes darting over to Roman, and Patton decided that that wasn't the whole reason Logan was being hesitant to go over and say hello.

"I... I have to agree with Logan here." Virgil's voice was quiet, more awake now, looking at his sleeping bag. "If something happens... we can't risk it."

"Well, I for one am hungry." Roman put his hands on his hips. "And if someone is offering us free breakfast, I am going to take it!" He got up, running a hand through his hair one more time, before stepping out.

"Wait-!" Logan whirled around, before putting his head in his hands.

"Hello! I'm Roman! Nice to meet you." Patton got up as well, reaching a hand out to Virgil. Virgil sighed, taking it, and standing up himself. The two of them turned back to Logan.

"You both go, I'll pack up camp. Tell me instantly if something happens." Logan looks defeated, and Patton hates the way it makes his entire face droop, but he couldn't ignore the hunger starting to become apparent in himself as well.

"Okay. Come on, Virgil!" Patton smiled, leading Virgil outside to where Roman and the stranger were talking.

"Patton! Virgil! This is Nessie! Nessie, these are my friends, Patton and Virgil." Nessie turns to them with a huge smile.

"Well, it's nice to meet you two. Will your other friend be joining us?" She tilts her head, looking concerned.

"No, he's gonna pack up." Patton smiled. "But we're all yours!" He laughed and so did Nessie.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. This way!" She waved her hand, and Patton noticed a small tattoo on the back of her hand. It was pretty and looped around each finger with what looked like spiderwebs. Patton shivered but didn't say anything. He didn't want to be a baby about that stuff, not here at least. Not yet.

Nessie started walking in the direction of a smaller cluster of trees. Patton glanced at Virgil, who was almost recoiling into his cloak. Patton held out a hand, and Virgil just looked at it for a few seconds, before tentatively reaching out and taking it, relaxing a little.

Roman was keeping pace with Nessie, so Patton and Virgil had to run a little to catch up, but Roman was doing enough talking for all three of them, talking about everything and nothing at all. Nessie would laugh every so often at a particular comment, or making a noise that seemed to keep Roman happy and heard.

"It's just through here." Nessie leads them to a more reclusive area, gesturing to a smaller clearing with what looked like a covered wagon with two horses. There were a smaller firepit and some tough-looking people who all sat around with weapons, cleaning them. They all looked up at the group of three with grins.

"Well, these people seem nice!" Roman turns around to smile at Nessie. "Where are the pancakes?" Nessie laughed, but this time a little colder.

"Oh, sweetheart." She nodded to some of the stronger looking people, a muscular boy, and a girl, who both reached out and grabbed Roman's arms. He struggled for a few seconds, but they just tightened their grip until Roman was whimpering in pain. "I'm a little surprised you actually fell for that." Patton turned to run back to Logan, but Nessie was in the way and pushed him into another person who just hugged their arms around Patton's, constricting him. Virgil froze, eyes wide.

"A prince out here alone, seriously darling. It's like you were trying to get yourself kidnapped." Nessie laughed again, the different colder laugh. "And so easily swayed by the promise of food. You royals are all the same." Now she turned to Patton. "And I wonder if there's anyone who would really care about you to pay for your return." Patton paled. He knew his father would probably pay anything to get him back, but he would never be left alone again. He would be stuck at home doing absolutely nothing and bored out of his mind. His father might even die of shock and worry before he could get back. He didn't want to hurt his dad like that.

"L-Let them go!" Virgil was trying to make his voice sound more than a panicked whisper. He was failing.

"Aww, sweetie. You're cute." She turned to Virgil, studying him before she pulled off his cloak with one motion. He yelped, trying to cover up something with his hands. She nodded, laughing at the tattoo on his collarbone that the others hadn't noticed before, and that Virgil was desperately trying to keep covered with his hands. The cloak had obscured it, or the blanket was always above the area where the tattoo was. "As I thought. One of HIS." She spat the word.

"Let them go!" Virgil almost shouted this time, and Nessie shook her head.

"No one's gonna hear you, honey. You're stuck here. Now..." She took a step closer to Virgil, and Patton struggled again, trying to stop whatever was happening. Virgil, as if on instinct, held out a hand, and a lightning bolt of purple light hit Nessie in the chest. She flew back with a screech, and both Patton and Roman stopped struggling against the people who were holding them in shock.

"Oh no. You want a fight, doll?" She got up, but what she was standing on wasn't the dirt or leaves that surrounded the area, it was a glowing book. She made a noise of surprise as it started moving, lifting her in the air until it was high enough that she would probably break a bone if she tried to jump. Logan stepped out from behind a tree. His face was murderous, angry, and tired. His arms were folded, and he looked as put together as he had the day before. Patton was almost disappointed, though he didn't know why.

"You let the two of them go, I let your leader go." His voice was soft, not enough so you couldn't hear him, but he didn't have to shout to get his meaning across. There was a sternness to his voice that he probably used on children when they didn't do what he asked, but this seemed to be more... the only word Patton could use to describe it was pissed.

"Ness?" One of the men let go of Roman, putting his hands up. "We don't want any trouble."

"Of course you don't." Logan's tone didn't change. "Because when you aren't looking for trouble, you kidnap the prince. Of course. That makes perfect sense." His glare was now fixed upon the two other ones, one holding Patton and one holding Roman. He adjusted his glasses with one eyebrow raised.

The one holding Patton let him go, and Patton ran over to Virgil, who was at this point practically hiding behind Logan. Reluctantly, the last one holding Roman let go of his arm, and Roman glared, taking a few steps back to the group, but not as close as Patton or Virgil had gotten.

"Good. Pleasure doing business with you." The book under Nessie slowly lowered until she was on the ground again. "If I see you near us ever again, I won't be so kind." And with that, Logan walked off. The two groups just stood there for a few seconds, before Virgil grabbed Roman and Patton's arms, dragging them after Logan.

The campsite was packed up, everyone's bags laid out, and the tent was taken down. Logan grabbed his two bags and picked up Roman's as well. He didn't say anything as he waited for the others to grab what they needed, and Patton and Virgil almost scrambled to grab their own satchels and bags.

They were on the road for almost ten minutes before someone said anything. That person was Patton.

"How did you know?" Logan stopped, turning to the group.

"How did I know what, Patton?" His tone was gentler than before, but not by much. It was still cold and distant. Almost pained.

"That she was a bad person?" Logan shook his head.

"There is no such thing as a bad or good person. I saw her tattoo if that is what your asking, and I recognize that as a symbol of a very famous gang from another city. They had a talent for kidnapping nobles or people of power." Patton watched Logan's eyes glance to Roman for a second, and Roman glared right back. "I'm just glad I saw it, or I wouldn't have been there to save you all."

"You aren't always right." Roman almost growled.

"I'm not sure why you have chosen this moment to say that, because, in this instant, I was right." Logan folded his arms. 

"Yeah, but how was I supposed to know?" Roman stood up a little straighter.

"Because I was there to tell you. You did it anyway." Logan matched his posture, eyes burning with anger.

"It's not fair that we can't accept things from people who offer them to us! What if they really mean well?"

"What if they don't?!" Logan takes a breath. "Not everyone has your best interest at heart out here. Not everyone is looking to make the world a better place for everyone, some people just want to make a better place for themselves!"

"That's not fair!" Roman threw up his hands. "So we punish everyone who wants to do a nice thing for us because someone might be out to get us?"

"Not just someone, it could be everyone! You are valuable, whether to have you to ransom or have you to kill! People don't just want to keep you safe!"

"So we don't trust anyone? Is that really how we want to live?"

"We trust the people who have given us reason to trust them!"

"And what about the people who don't? What about the people who just need us to put faith in them! And what happens when someone betrays us after we trusted them? What if we need them and they leave and never come back?" Logan froze, his gaze not changing from the burning anger and almost hatred, but his shoulders slumped, and his voice became calm, mirroring the way he had handled the gang. Patton took a step back that Logan didn't seem to notice.

"I was right. Those people were not our friends. They were trying to hurt not only you but Patton and Virgil. This wasn't just about you, what I am asking you to do is to help protect everyone. We cannot just trust everyone we come across who offers us something, but I wouldn't expect you to understand, your majesty." Logan practically spat the last two words, and with that, he turned and walked a little faster away from them. 

Roman didn't move, eyes wide and tense, but confused. They had both struck nerves with their words, an idiot could see that. Patton didn't realize he was squeezing Virgil's hand until Virgil let go, pulling his cloak's hood back over his head and following Logan quickly. Patton reached out a hand to touch Roman's shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice, taking a few steps to where the trail was going, trying to catch up with their two... companions.

He had never seen a fight like that. He had read about it, about people not getting along or getting into arguments, but this obviously wasn't group breaking, right? They still were walking away from the city, if they had decided to go their separate ways, they would have headed back into town. So it wasn't irreparable damage, which made Patton relax a little.

When he was younger, his mom and dad argued a lot. They would argue about how to raise him, about books he would read, about when to tell him about things. He was taught that arguing was a part of life, but when he was in his room and he could hear the yelling downstairs... he used to hate it. He used to hate the way his mom would get desperate and start throwing out accusations until one stuck. He would hate the way his dad would get really quiet before blowing up again. He would hate the way he had to create a small soundproof bunker under his bed. It never worked completely to keep the noise out.

He missed his dad. But he was doing something good. His mom would be proud. He knew she would. He just hoped his dad would forgive him.

He ran after his friends.


	10. The Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Picani and Remy make a small appearance, getting over a fight, privileged person realizing how privileged they are, flowers

They didn't speak again until lunch. Even during lunch, the only one who said anything was Patton, offering sandwiches he had packed, and telling Logan that he had to eat when Logan tried to turn it down. Roman needed to get out of there. He needed space to think. So when he was done with his sandwich, he stood up quickly. Everyone looked over at him curiously.

"I'm going to be right back." He quickly walked off, not really looking back. He walked into the trees, making a note of how he got where he was going so he could always turn back. He wasn't crying, he wasn't. Prince's weren't supposed to cry. But there were wet spots forming in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks, and he leaned against a tree, taking deep breaths as he desperately wiped at the tears falling.

"Are you okay?" A tiny voice asked him as a small hand pulled on his shirt. Roman jumped, looking down to see a small boy with pink hair and glasses smiling up at him. Another boy was hiding behind him, around the same age, but this younger one had brown hair and sunglasses hiding his eyes. They were both looking up at him with interest and wonder.

"Y...yes. I am. I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Roman straightened again, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill. "I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Mommy says that people only cry if they're overwhelmed." The one with the pink hair states, tilting his head. "She told me the least we could do is listen." Roman blinked.

"Are you asking me to tell you why I'm... upset?" Roman asked, baffled.

"So you are upset." The one in the sunglasses pointed out, before ducking behind the other boy. Roman was at a loss for what to say.

"Yeah, I guess I am." He rubbed his neck, remembering what Logan had yelled at him about before and wincing. "Sorry, I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." He cringed at how childish it sounded.

"We aren't either." The one with the pink hair smiled. "So if we aren't, and you aren't, that means you can trust us. I'm Emile, this is Remy, but you can call me Picani!" Roman just stared at these little kids, who sat down next to him.

"I'm Rom-" Roman stopped himself. It was probably a good idea not to give his full name. "I'm Ro."

"Nice to meet you, Ro!" Picani smiled. "Now tell us what's bothering you."

"Promise not to tell anyone?" Roman sighed, sitting down himself, and running a hand through his hair.

"Pinky swear." Picani held up a pinky, and Remy took a canteen out of his bag, putting in a straw, and taking a sip.

"I don't tell." He pulled down his sunglasses and winked, and Roman laughed through the pain in his chest, linking his pinky with Picani's.

"I... I got into a fight with my friend. We were getting along yesterday... I guess I was even flirting with him a little bit, and he seemed to like it... like me?" Roman could tell he was getting off-topic, going down a rabbit hole he wasn't sure was really healthy, but he couldn't help it. He glanced back at the two kids next to him, and they were nodding along, smiling. 

"Then this morning I made a decision that ended up almost getting our other friends hurt." There were small gasps from the two, which might have been a little over the top if Roman wasn't feeling so dramatic. "But my one friend, he had told me not to do it. That it was a mistake. I thought it was harmless, and so I brushed it off, but he got really upset." Roman sank a little, looking at the dirt. "We didn't talk for a bit and then we got into a bad fight. Really bad." He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the trunk of the tree. "What's worse is that I know he's right. I know he was more correct than I was, that he had more information than me and that he made a better choice than me. It just..." Roman groaned. "I don't know. He started talking and all I needed to do was defend myself."

"Did you apologize?" Picani asked, head tilted, eyes wide and genuine. Roman almost laughed. 

"Why would I do that?"

"Because that's what you do after you get into a fight, you apologize and say you were wrong." Picani shrugged.

"Especially," Remy added, "If you know you were actually wrong." He said it as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"But-" Roman stopped himself. "I... apologize?" It didn't compute in his head. He was the oldest. He was the prince. His father had a horrible memory, so he never had had to apologize in his life. When he slighted his siblings, they learned to live with it. When he got into an argument with his dad, which was barely ever, he would usually forget about it an hour later. The help wasn't supposed to disagree with him, and neither were commoners. Visiting royalty tended to leave quickly, with no room to start an argument, much less finish one.

It just didn't make sense.

"Haven't you ever apologized to someone before?" Remy laughed as if it were the funniest thing. Roman huffed, folding his arms.

"As a matter of fact, I haven't." He turned up his nose, and Remy stopped laughing.

"Oh." The pair were suddenly serious.

"Really?" Picani breathed, his eyes wide. 

"Yes. Why should I have?" Picani shrugged.

"Because being able to tell someone that you genuinely regret something that you did that might have hurt their feelings makes the person feel not only validated but closer to you," Picani stated, sounding surprisingly like Logan for a moment. And Roman remembered how Logan's face had turned to stone after a particular comment Roman had made. How he had gotten scarily calm and serious. How he had made regret and guilt boil in Roman's gut just with his face. Remy seemed to notice.

"Did you say something in particular that made him upset?" Remy took another sip of apple juice. Roman had to genuinely think about it.

"He... I said something about how we should be able to trust people... and how even people who we've gotten close to betray us sometimes..." He bit his lip. His memory wasn't great, not by any means. "I think I said something like, 'What if they leave us and never come back?' And now that I'm actually thinking about it, that was a stupid argument that kind of went with his point more than mine..." Roman groaned. "Why are these things so hard!"

"Relationships take time and work to be strong." Picani pointed out. "You can't meet someone and then expect to be besties. You need to put in the effort. And if you say something to hurt their feelings, then you have to apologize." Roman sighed loudly.

"But he hurt my feelings too!" Logan's words were still ringing in his ears. 'I wouldn't expect you to understand, your majesty.' He hated the way the words coming from Logan's mouth. He hated how vile and gross they had seemed as if Logan was trying to get rid of a bad aftertaste.

"But, even just now, you admitted you were wrong. How long have you known this person?" Picani asked, his tone not changing from the relaxed and helpful voice it was. Roman sighed.

"Two days." Remy laughed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, you're gonna have to apologize first, girl." Roman resisted the urge to ask why.

"You're right." Roman forced the words out. They weren't comfortable at all, letting go of the superiority he had clutched at for so long, but there was something satisfying after he let them out. Almost as if letting go had given him relief that he wasn't getting holding onto something that stupid. "You're right." He tried it again, and it was softer this time. Easier. But that feeling of relaxation was still there.

"Now you got it!" Picani grinned, clapping. "Now just say that to him!" Roman groaned.

"How am I supposed to do that? I don't think I can face him again." Roman put his head in his hands, and Picani stood up to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sometimes doing something else can help. Try getting him a gift he'd like, or doing him a favor! Have you heard of the five love languages?" Picani tried.

"Yes, of course!" Roman paused. "What is that?"

"They are the five ways you enjoy receiving love, Acts Of Service, Words Of Affirmation, Getting Gifts, Quality Time, or Physical Touch. Usually, they refer to people in a relationship, but they also refer to how you receive platonic love. Based on what you know about your friend, do you have any idea which one your friend would respond to the most?" Roman shook his head.

"I have no idea. We haven't really tested out those five... though yesterday he seemed to like it when I was closer to him, and I did compliment him which he seemed to like..." He was going to count calling him pretty boy as a compliment because Logan really was a pretty boy. 

"Well, if you don't know, you could try getting him a gift. Gifts and apologies almost always work out." Remy smiled, glancing at Picani who giggled.

"I don't have my money with me..." Roman closed his eyes. "Why does everything have to be so hard?!"

"You could get him flowers. There's a field over there that has a ton of pretty ones. And they're free." Picani ventured, and Roman smiled.

"Thank you two. Honestly, this really helped." Roman relaxed a little.

"Of course, Ro! I'm glad to help, whatever way I can. Remember, communication is the key to any relationship. Voice your feelings, but don't do it in a way that puts anyone else at fault, even if you feel they are." Picani offered Remy a hand. Remy took it, pulling himself up. "We should get going. It was nice to meet you! And good luck."

"Yeah, good luck, girl. Don't get chewed out again!" Remy grinned, linking his arm with Picani's.

"It was nice meeting you both. Have a lovely afternoon." And with that, the pair was gone.

Roman walked to the field the pair had been talking about. Picking flowers couldn't be hard, it was something he could do. It might make it easier. He could do this. He could say he was sorry.

He had too.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Roman returned to the group, one hand behind his back, the others were packing up. Patton looked up, worry obvious in his face, and Roman realized he had probably been gone for more than ten minutes.

"You're back!" Patton squealed, relief flooding his face.

"Any longer and we would have had to come looking for you," Virgil said, mostly to himself, as he grabbed his bag. Logan didn't say anything, eyes trained on the ground, but his shoulders had relaxed a little once he had noticed Roman was back. Roman decided to take that as a good sign.

"Logan?" For the first time since the argument, Logan looked at Roman. His eyes were colder, more guarded than they were the night before. Even his stance was as if he was preparing for a fight, one hand in front of him, clutching the strap of one of his bags tighter than he would probably care to admit. 

"Yes?" The word was careful and calm leaving his mouth, and it made Roman's chest tighten.

"I... uh..." Roman took a few steps forward, and Logan shifted his weight back. It was on instinct, Roman could tell, but it didn't mean it hurt less. He took his hand out from behind his back, looking at the floor as he offered up the small batch of flowers he had picked. There were so many different colors, and he didn't know which ones Logan liked, so he picked some at random. Logan looked surprised and confused, tilting his head at Roman. "I'm sorry." He said it quietly, but the rush of relief filled him again. "You were right. I shouldn't have argued with you. I should have listened. I'm... I'm sorry." As Roman glanced up again, he watched Logan soften a little, his shoulders slumped, and his face losing the tension.

"You... you understand why I said what I said, correct?" Roman nodded. "I... I just don't want to see any of you hurt."

"I know, and I should have listened. You were right, I don't have a lot of experience with this stuff." The hand still holding out the flowers waved a bit, and he couldn't help but wince. "I shouldn't have argued. I just..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry." There was a moment of silence, as Logan reached out a hand, taking the flowers.

"I accept and appreciate your apology, Roman." Logan's voice was smaller than before. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the flowers, inspecting the little details. "And I apologize as well. I... I let my anger get the best of me, and said some things I shouldn't have. I hope you'll forgive me." Roman nodded, letting himself laugh a little.

"I'll forgive you for what you said, but you might need to apologize for having a better apology than me." He teased.

"I apologize for that as well, though I'm not sure why it's necessary." Logan glanced back up at Roman, confused.

"I was teasing you, calculator watch." Roman smiled. "I hope that's okay." Logan blinked a few times before nodding.

"Right. Of course. My apologies." He paused, still clutching the flowers in one hand, taking a deep breath. "I want to trust people as well. I really do." His voice was almost strained as if talking about this was bringing up memories of betrayal. "It's just... some people don't mean well. Some people are selfish and take things for themselves. I don't want to see you hurt, or someone else gets hurt because of your actions." Roman nodded. 

"I know."

"And," Logan continued. "I need you to trust me as well. I need you to understand that when I tell you not to go with someone, or if I say or do something that you might not agree with or think is like me, I need you to trust me that I have a plan. That I know what I'm doing." He turned a little. "That goes for both of you, as well." Roman had nearly forgotten that Virgil and Patton were still here.

"What do you mean?" Virgil folded his arms.

"If I ask you not to do something that seems perfectly harmless, I hope that you trust me enough to know I have a reason. And I will do the same for you." The other two nodded slowly. "One more thing, if we are deciding whether something is dangerous or not, you two," Logan pointed to Roman and Patton. "Need to listen to Virgil and me."

"Ok, I get why you need to say that to me, but why Patton?" Roman glanced over at the other boy, who looked just as confused. 

"Because both of you have limited experience with the world. If we are to run into something that has underlying danger, I don't want either of you to be hurt. I believe that Virgil will know enough to get himself out of danger, and I pride myself on my own intelligence, but I don't want you both to be caught in the figurative crossfire."

"Right." Roman nodded, looking back at Patton, who grinned. 

"Of course, Logan!" Patton smiled at the group. "We should get back on the road, right everyone?"

"Right." Logan nodded, turning to Roman. "Apologies for the late question, but did you leave a note for your siblings and father?" Roman grinned.

"I did better than that, I told Remus what was going on, and he told me he'd tell dad!" Roman was proud of that, actually. Remus had seemed a little sad and slightly betrayed when Roman told him what was going on, but he had sworn he would tell their dad. Logan paused, looking at Roman.

"You told Remus where you were going, and trusted him to tell your father."

"Yep!"

"Remus. Your twin who is famous for pranks he thinks is harmless but actually, ends up causing harm. Your brother who you have such a famous feud, it's known across the kingdom. Remus, who, and correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't seem to love telling the truth. That Remus?" Logan's words made Roman pause.

"Well when you put it like that, it sounds like a bad idea." Logan let out a sharp breath through his nose.

"I suppose we will have to cross that figurative bridge when we come to it." For a moment, Logan looked tired, and Roman's bag slipped from his shoulders. Roman reached out and grabbed it, pulling it onto his own shoulder, and smiling. Logan looked up in surprise.

"Let me handle it. I think I'm a little stronger than you." Logan blinked a few times, and Roman could swear he blushed a little.

"Oh. Uh... of course." He nodded his head, adjusting his glasses. He looked adorable, and Roman had to tease him a little more.

"Can I do something quickly?" Logan looked back at Roman, confused. Roman took one of the flowers from where Logan was clutching them, a dark blue one that seemed to have an infinite number of petals, and tucked it behind his ear. Logan was definitely blushing now. "There."

"I-" Logan cut himself off. "You... um... thank you. Roman." And Roman laughed.

"Anytime, Lo." And with that, Roman slung the bag over his shoulder, marching off to join the other two making their way to the road.

He didn't see the way Logan touched the flower in his hair, and he didn't see Logan close his eyes and take a deep shaky breath, shaking his head and following.

Roman was just glad that they were back where they were before.


	11. The Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: You all ready for analogical fluff? Because you're getting analogical fluff.

The fighting had, of course, put Virgil on edge. But he had toughed through it, taking deep breaths, and had relaxed when Logan and Roman had seemed to make up. Logan still had a flower behind his ear, probably from the bouquet that Roman had picked, which was in one of Logan's bags. 

The walking was more comfortable now, Patton was humming some song, and Roman joined in, harmonizing. Because of course, he did. Logan, at some point, had taken out a book from one of his bags and was reading as they walked. Virgil couldn't help but stare at him, so engrossed by the pages that basically just had squiggles on them. Virgil felt a soft pang in his chest.

'You could ask him.' The voice whispered, smiling.

"Shut up." He whispered out loud before he could stop himself, and Roman, who was keeping pace with him, turned.

"What?" Virgil shook his head, wincing.

"Nothing, nothing, sorry, I was just thinking, and then..." He gritted his teeth as the voice laughed. "It's really nothing. Sorry to interrupt your song." Roman rolled his eyes, but Patton had stopped humming at this point, so there wasn't a harmony to go back to.

"Hey, Pat." Roman sped up a little, walking next to Patton. "I spy with my little eye something that is green." Patton thought about it for a moment.

"Is it the grass?"

"No."

"Is it the trees?"

"Yep! Good job!" Roman gave his friend a high five, and Virgil noticed the small sigh and eye roll from Logan.

"My turn!" Patton grinned, clapping his hands. "I spy with my little eye something that is... blue!" He grinned, giggling.

"Is it... the sky?" Roman guessed, making a show of thinking about it. Patton squealed, laughing, clapping his hands. The sigh from Logan was more audible this time. "Okay, okay. I spy with my little eye... something that is brown."

"Is it the road, Roman?" Logan rolled his eyes, keeping his voice monotone.

"Yeah, how did you guess?" Roman laughed, beaming, his tone much more sarcastic than Logan's.

"Because you couldn't use the trunks of the trees, you already said trees as a broad concept, and there are only four different colors around us." Logan didn't look up from his book, and Virgil for a moment wondered how much practice he must have had to get to be able to walk this long without tripping. 

"You're right. Hmm.... what about..." Roman turned his head to face Patton. "I spy with my little eye something that is radiant." Roman completed the statement with a wink, but Patton didn't seem to get it.

"Is it the sun?" Patton asked, looking genuinely confused.

"No, Patton." Roman laughed a little.

"Is it... uh... the flowers?" Patton turned back to Roman, still looking baffled.

"No. It isn't the flowers. Though they are pretty." Roman nodded.

"Huh..."

"Do you give up?" Roman leaned towards Patton a little, smiling.

"Yeah! What is it?" Patton asked, grinning up at Roman. 

"You." Patton giggled, squealing.

"Roman that's so cute!" Roman laughed again, turning to the two others.

"Honestly, I see three radiant beings." He teased, and Logan tripped on a stone. He didn't fall, he just stopped and gathered his balance, holding his book up a little higher. It was apparent he was blushing.

"Funny, I don't see a mirror anywhere." Virgil folded his arms, pausing to make sure Logan was okay. When he nodded, they continued walking, but Roman gave Virgil a funny look. "What? I told you that I'd be okay with pick up lines, as long as you're okay with me turning you down."

"You did." Roman nodded, but there was still the feeling in Virgil's gut that told him he had done something wrong.

"Wait... so you two aren't dating?" Patton looked confused, and it was Virgil's turn to trip, choking on air as he fell. Roman quickly caught him, helping him right himself, face bright red.

"W-What?" Virgil squeaked out.

"I just thought..." Patton laughed awkwardly, adjusting the cape around his neck. "You two were so close, it seemed both mentally and physically, so... I just assumed..." Roman laughed.

"Dating? Us? What? I mean, how?" Roman coughed a little, and Virgil would have been a little offended if it were anyone else.

"No, Patton. They are not dating. We all met officially on the same day, though I have know Virgil a little longer than I have known either of you."

"Oh. That makes more sense." Patton nodded. "So... no dating then." He seemed a little disappointed, which made Virgil want to disappear.

'I can-'

"Shut up." This was in his head, not wanting to add to the chaos of the situation.

"Patton, I am the prince of our kingdom. If I were dating someone, you would know." Roman's tone was strained, though Virgil couldn't tell if it was because of the conversation, the idea of him and Roman dating, or because people would generally find out about these things before he would. Gossip spread faster than the speed of light, it sometimes seemed. And most often, it was wrong. "You might even know before I would." That was easier to deduce, the sad undertones and way Roman's shoulders drooped was a clear sign that he wanted privacy he wouldn't get as the prince.

"You have a point there." Patton laughed, not seeming to get it completely. "But I liked playing that game with you, Roman!" Roman grinned, linking his arm with Patton's.

"I enjoyed it too, Padre."

"What else can we play?" The pair continued to try to think of original games but eventually, the sun was getting lower in the sky. Virgil thought about asking to stop, but nowhere seemed right, until they found themselves in a smaller clearing.

"Hey, we should stop before it gets too dark." Virgil points out, and Logan looks up.

"You're right. Thank you for stopping us, Virgil." He looked Virgil right in the eyes as he said it, and there was a small shiver that went down Virgil's spine. He looked away before he started blushing. "I can set up the tent, Roman do you mind getting firewood?" Roman grinned. 

"Already on it!" He ran into the woods that surrounded the clearing.

"Patton, do you mind setting up food?" Patton grinned.

"Perfect! I'd love to!" He dropped his bag on the ground, setting up some smaller plates and things for food.

"Virgil, would you mind helping me with the tent?" Virgil shrugged.

"Got nothing better to do, I guess." Logan smiled at him, going over to where Virgil guessed they would set everything up.

It was pretty fast work, which was a little surprising to Virgil, though he couldn't place why. Patton took out a box of matches, Roman lit the fire, and they all gathered around with sandwiches.

"Sorry, guys. All I brought was stuff to make sandwiches!" Patton laughed awkwardly.

"It's alright, Patton, you did your best with what little time we all had to prepare. We'll go through what we have, and I've designated times where we can go to cities or other towns to get more food and whatnot. 

"You really have thought of everything, haven't you Microsoft nerd?" Roman grinned at Logan, who nodded.

"We have to be prepared for whatever happens. We cannot deal with distractions."

"Why can't we?" Virgil asked, before cringing as Logan looked over at him. "I just mean... we don't really have a deadline, do we?"

"Well, Patton's father will be back in a month, so we have that long to get him back to his home." Logan looked at each of them as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Virgil hadn't thought about that, he didn't have anyone who would miss him, but the others did. "As for myself, if I'm gone for more than a few weeks, my father will get worried, and Roman will probably have people looking for him if we are to trust Remus enough to let the castle know." There was no judgment in his voice, but Virgil could feel the absence of his name from that list like they had just put a five-ton weight on his chest.

They ate in silence until the fire was slowly dying and Roman got up to get more firewood. As he came back, he turned to look at the group.

"Well, I don't know about both of you, but I'm exhausted. If we're taking a watch tonight, I'd prefer to opt-out." He held up his hands.

"We will all be taking a watch, but I can stay up first if no one has any complaints." Patton nodded, yawning.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how much longer I'd be able to stay up." All eyes seemed to turn to Virgil.

"I can stay up with Logan." He glanced away, looking at the fire that was surging up to claim the new pieces of wood Roman had collected.

"Perfect! Well, I'm going to go get my beauty rest!" Roman walked to the tent, keeping it open for Patton to walk in. It was only a few moments before Virgil could hear the soft breathing that he recognized from the night before as Patton. He assumed that Roman was also asleep, and turned to Logan, who had a book in his lap. Logan glanced up with a smile.

"Hi." Virgil looked away. It was an awkward thing to say, and he wanted to cringe.

"Good evening, Virgil." Logan's smile was apparent even in his voice. 

"What are you reading?" Virgil tilted his head at Logan, hoping that he was portraying interest rather than looking like a stalker.

"It's a book on herbology. I'm finding it quite fascinating." Logan looked over to his bag. "Would you like to read something? I know that isn't really what we are supposed to be doing here, but I do not believe that we will be ambushed."

"What gives you that idea?" Virgil always was worried about that stuff, if they took his things away, stealing his bag, or if they killed his new companions in front of him.

'Calm yourself.' The voice hummed in his head, and Virgil took a breath. 

"Roman is in the tent, not visible to people who might want to take him, our fire isn't very large, and we only have four people in our group. None of which actually seem like people worth stealing from or kidnapping." And Logan did make sense. There was a strange sense of calm that washed over him when the facts were laid out for him. "But you never answered my question." There it was.

"What question?" Virgil could play dumb, and maybe Logan would drop it.

"Would you like to borrow a book?" Of course, Logan hadn't gotten it.

"I... uh... no. Thank you." Virgil avoided Logan's eyes.

'Tell him.'

"No."

'Virgil, he won't judge you. Tell him.' The voice urged as if pushing him forward. Virgil's shoulders slumped.

"Uh... actually..." Logan looked up again, tilting his head at Virgil. "I... actually don't know how to read." There was a silence that settled over them, Logan continuing to watch Virgil carefully. Virgil fidgeted from where he was sitting, biting his lip.

"Would you like to learn?" Virgil's head shot up, confused.

"What?"

"Would you like me to teach you how to read?" Virgil opened his mouth and closed it again, nodding a little. You wouldn't catch the motion unless you were looking for it, but Logan was looking. "Come sit next to me." Logan moved over a little, shifting and patting the spot next to him. Virgil joined him, blushing a little. "Can I ask why you don't know how to read?" The question was gentle, and Virgil knew he could say no. Or lie. But he didn't want to.

"When I was younger, there was an accident at my house. I was three, and I got separated from my parents. Then the gang found me, and by that time, I was too nervous to ask them to teach me." Virgil's voice was soft, not wanting to wake up the others, and enjoying the little secret he and Logan now shared. "I learned enough correlation to order off of menus and know what certain signs say, but it's all squiggles to me."

"Is that why you forget the words for things?" Logan asked, but what Virgil had suspected to be condescension was actually interest.

"I guess, yeah. It's hard to know what something's called or ask if there's a sign right next to it that literally spells it out for me." Logan smiled at Virgil, before closing his eyes and holding out his hand. A book appeared, thinner than any book he had seen materialize before. Virgil watched with wide eyes.

"Alright, so we will start with this." Virgil blinked a few times.

"You can just... summon books? At will?" Logan laughed softly.

"Apparently I can. And," He opened the book, placing it in Virgil's hands. "They each have the ability to be read." Virgil looked down at the book in his hands. "Now, before we start, is there anything I should know about?" Logan's voice was all business now, he obviously had practice.

"What do you mean?"

"Is there a certain type of reward you tend to work best with, is there something that I shouldn't do, and generally, how can I make this a better experience for you?" Virgil hadn't expected that. But there was such earnestness in Logan's voice that he had to be honest.

"I... uh..." He looked away, blushing. "I like compliments. And I don't mind it if you touch me, sometime's it's grounding, but I can get... uh... kind of frustrated if I don't get a concept quickly, so... uh..." He trailed off.

"So physical contact might give a positive reaction if you start to get upset." Logan smiled, placing a hand on Virgil's shoulder. It was almost funny, how quickly that small bit of contact had calmed his mind so easily.

"Yeah."

"Perfect. Alright." And Virgil looked down at the book. Logan moved a little closer, and Virgil couldn't help but be aware of Logan's breath on his neck. He swallowed, trying not to shiver. It was really cold out here, even with the fire. "Let's start with the alphabet." Logan pointed to a letter on the page. "What is that?" Virgil squinted at it.

"Is that... A?" He could feel Logan smiling next to him, and he relaxed a little.

"Very good. And that one?"

"C?" Logan shook his head.

"Close, but no. That one is B. C comes next." They went through the whole alphabet that way, Logan correcting him at times when he misspoke or got one wrong, and praising him when he got it correct. 

"That was... easier than I expected," Virgil admitted, looking back up at Logan who looked almost proud.

"I'm very glad to hear that. You did very well, especially for this being your first time." Logan flipped a few pages. "Do you think you can read that word for me?" He pointed to a collection of letters, and Virgil blinked a few times at it as if blinking would magically make the pronunciation appear.

'It's-'

"Don't tell me." He thought at the voice in his head, and it backed off. Logan seemed to catch on that Virgil was having trouble.

"Why don't you try spelling it out, first."

"O-N-C-E," Virgil spoke, taking a breath. "Once?"

"Good boy." Virgil nearly froze, his breath catching in his throat and his eyes widening. Logan didn't seem to notice, moving on, and Virgil wondered for a second if he had misheard him. "Do you want to try the next one?"

"U-P-O-N," Virgil looked more confused at this one. "You-pon?"

"Close, Upon." Virgil nodded, looking at the paper again. "Next one?"

"A." Virgil smiled. That was just one letter, which was easier to think out.

"Good." Virgil was a little disappointed that he hadn't said it again, but he tried to shake that thought from his mind.

"T-I-M-E," Virgil spelled out. "Time."

"Excellent. Say it all together?"

"Once upon a time." Virgil read and there was a spark of excitement that shot through him. He couldn't help the smile that took over his face.

"Good boy," Logan said it again, and Virgil almost melted right then and there. Again, Logan was oblivious to how the combination of praise and the hand that had moved from his shoulder to his back was making him feel all soft and mushy. "Would you like to keep going? We continue tomorrow night as well." It took Virgil a few seconds to get an answer in his head that actually made sense.

"I... let's stop for today." Logan nodded, and moved away from Virgil, waving his hand as the book evaporated. Virgil was disappointed at the loss of contact, but decided not to say anything. it would be weirder to ask Logan to keep touching him when there really wasn't any reason.

"You did very well, especially for a first lesson. You're a quick learner."

"Thank you." Virgil looked at the ground, blushing a little. Logan looked worried.

"I didn't make you uncomfortable, did I? That was not my intention and I would like to know if-"

"No, not at all." Virgil cut him off, shaking his head. "I just... I'm not used to it. So it might take me a few sessions to get used to it." Logan smiled.

"Of course. Then I will do my best to make sure that you do get used to getting compliments." Logan smiled. "Because you do deserve them, Virgil." The way he said his name made Virgil's heart stop for just a moment. 

"How do you know?" He spoke before thinking, and Logan smiled at him.

"I don't know you very well, but what I do know of you is almost all positive. You agreed to do this with us not because we asked you to, but because you knew it was the right thing to do. You're powerful and have a good heart, and you deserve nice things. And until you start to get them for yourself, I suppose we will have to get them for you." Virgil smiled shyly, and Logan reached out and touched his shoulder again.

"Let's get the others up for the next watch. You look tired."

"I always look tired." Virgil yawned, but nodded, as Logan led him to the tent and woke up Roman and Patton. They both grumbled about it, but when they both got up out of the warm sleeping bags and went to watch the fire.

Virgil was only half awake when Logan tucked him into the sleeping bag, and he was fully asleep when Logan kissed him on the forehead, before going to his own sleeping bag and passing out.


	12. The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mostly cute fluff this time, people not understanding feelings (Mostly Logan) and poems about things not quite explained yet!

The walking the next day was tedious, and Logan noted how tired Roman seemed. It was obvious that the Royal hadn't really needed to walk very far before, and he started slowing down after lunch. Logan didn't make a show of matching his pace, though he hoped Roman had noticed.

"I'm bored." Roman groaned, leaning back dramatically.

"Do you want to play a game?" Patton asked. He also seemed to be having trouble keeping up which was probably to be expected, but he wasn't complaining about any of it.

"What kind of game?" Roman perked up instantly.

"We could play... uh..." Patton seemed at a loss, and Logan couldn't help but smile to himself.

"There is a game I know, it's called Spell Association." Logan could feel Virgil tensing beside him. They went through the alphabet yesterday, so if they kept to more simple words, it would be an excellent exercise. "It's a word association game. You spell out a word, and the next person has to spell out a word that reminds them of that word." Virgil shifted a little but didn't say anything.

"Honestly, I'll play whatever. This is just so boring, there isn't even anything to look at anymore!" Roman gestured to the trees around them.

"B-E-E." Logan began, deciding to start slowly. He put his book away, turning to look at Patton.

"Bee! Okay, H-O-N-E-Y!" Patton jumped in. Roman laughed.

"Honey? L-O-V-E." Roman put his hands on his hips, turning to Virgil. Virgil bit his lip before taking a deep breath. "First thing that comes to mind, Stormcloud," Roman smirked at him.

"Don't rush him, Roman." Patton wagged a finger.

"I kind of like that nickname." Virgil shrugged, and Logan got the feeling he was stalling. "Love. Okay. Uh... F-A-M... I-L-Y?" Virgil glanced over to Logan who was trying to contain the pride that swelled within him. It wasn't just the fact that he spelled it correctly, but it was a larger word where there were some other smaller outs. He probably shouldn't have been as proud as he was, but Logan decided not to care.

"Family, excellent!" He thought about it for a moment. "H-O-M-E."

"Home!" Patton giggled and clapped his hands. "H-O-P-E"

"Hope! A-D-V-E-N-T-U-R-E!" Roman struck a pose and Virgil looked completely lost.

"Apologies, you lost me there, what did you just spell?" Logan was aware that Roman had just spelled Adventure, but he also knew that Virgil didn't seem like the type to ask for clarification, and Logan didn't want to embarrass him.

"Adventure, my dearest nerd." Roman laughed, turning back to Virgil, who looked grateful.

"Okay, adventure. Uh..." Virgil shook his head. "I don't know. T-R-A-V-L?"

"T-R-A-V-E-L." Logan corrected as gently as he could, but Virgil's shoulders still slumped. The other two didn't seem to notice, and if they did, they didn't seem to care much, probably just assuming that spelling was hard. And it was. "But that was a very good one! Travel... hm..." He pretended to ponder it for a few moments before nodding. "W-A-L-K-I-N-G" He smiled at Patton who nodded.

"Walking... R-O-A-D"

"Road... L-O-N-G." Roman grumbled the last part a little.

"Long..." Virgil smiled to himself, before shaking his head. "Uh, T-A-B-L-E."

"Table, C-H-A-I-R."

"Chair, R-O-C-K-I-N-G!"

"Rocking, M-U-S-I-C!"

"Music, L-O-U-D."

They went on like that for some time, and Logan noticed that Roman started to pick up the pace as they started spelling words faster. Virgil even seemed to be having fun, which gave Logan that swell of pride again. The distraction was defiantly welcome, and Logan was more than happy to provide it for them. By the time Logan had spelled out grass, however, Roman seemed to be done with the game, running up in front of them only to pause and wait for them to catch up.

They stopped not long after that, setting up camp quickly like they had the night before. Logan noticed Roman giving him an odd look as they ate, but he looked away as soon as Logan noticed. When they finished the meal, Roman announced that he was off to get the group more firewood, Virgil went inside the tent, and Patton took out a notebook, writing something down. Since they still had quite a bit of daylight before they could actually go to sleep, Logan decided that it was probably a good time to do another entry in his recorder. He grabbed his bag, bringing it a little way into the woods in the opposite direction Roman had gone in, trying to make sure that no one else would hear him thinking out loud.

"Log 105. I haven't checked in for about two days. I have three new companions, each with a certain level of magical ability. I myself have found that I can create books, which makes sense, I suppose." He adjusted his glasses, sitting against a tree trunk. "Though, most of the abilities we have seem to allude us so far.

"The first of our new companions is Virgil. He has introduced himself to me previously as Anxiety, and I have talked about him before. He was the one who would sometimes take smaller trinkets from the shop." Logan smiled. "I didn't mind. Father did, however, and I decided that I would just make up the extra money we lost by paying for it myself. I don't believe he noticed. Virgil does, however, seem to be more world-savvy than the rest of us." Logan cleared his throat, glancing around quickly to check if anyone else was around.

"He very recently disclosed to me that he couldn't read. I have taken it upon myself to help teach him." He thought about it for a moment, leaning his head back against the tree. "He seems to have some interesting abilities, one of which includes shooting people with bolts of lighting, which seems to be more instinct than anything else. I wonder if asking him about that would be too uncomfortable for him..." He trailed off, his mind going a thousand miles a second. He shook his head, getting himself back on track. "The other ability that he has shared with us is the ability to teleport, which he seemed excited about for a moment. He is most likely going to be the one that's the most nervous about his powers, so I will have to make sure that he feels supported and welcome."

"Then there's Patton. I suppose I know the least about him, but so does everyone else. He seems very set on feeding us, which Roman and Virgil both seem to appreciate. His father when I talked to him was very emphatic about keeping him healthy and happy, though it was in a different way than other children who are prone to illness. His father was more interested in keeping him happy and calm instead of healthy and safe, which I found intriguing." Logan could feel himself slipping into that place where he said anything on his mind, and he happily embraced it. "Patton also seems a little afraid of his father or hurting his father. He also doesn't seem to have another parent, which might have nothing to do with it, but something might have happened to Patton's other parent to make it so that his father feels the need to protect him."

"His abilities also seem to mirror his personality, he was glowing during the fight and seemed to be able to use healing magic on someone who was hurt. From what I know about him, he seems to be a very bubbly and happy person, but he has been coddled through most of his life. I do not know if it will be an issue that he doesn't have a lot of experience, or if it will be something that will benefit us." Logan laughed, shaking his head. "Though I suppose that type of question is to be expected."

"The last one we are traveling with is Prince Roman." Logan sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Honestly, I am not sure of what to say about him. He seems very nice, and he did come to me and apologize after we got into a fight, so I do think I like him." Logan paused.

"He... he made some comments the first night we were traveling. I'm not sure why. They weren't uncomfortable for me, and they didn't seem uncomfortable for him, but it was a little confusing." He paused again, trying to understand what was racing through his mind. "He was... forward. Yes, I think that is the right word to use in this situation. He was forward about his intentions, which... I think I liked it." Logan knew his face was burning, and he resisted the urge to cover his face. It would mess with the audio recording. "Was he... was he flirting with me? I mean, I know he was flirting with me, but was he... interested in me? Because if he was... it would be nice to know and-" He cut himself off with a groan.

"Why do emotions have to be so complicated. It doesn't help that he seems to flirt with the others as well. I don't mind, not in a possessive way, but it would make it easier for me to tell if he liked me or not if it was something he only did with me. Is he just teasing me? I mean, it was... hot? I think that's the right word. It just... oh gods. I don't really care, I shouldn't really care, right? But... ugh. His hair looked so soft and why did I want to touch it? Should I have not wanted to touch it? And he called me... he called me 'pretty boy'? Was that just to tease me or does he actually think-" Logan recognized his mental spiral before it really started to take hold, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He stopped recording, putting the device in his pocket, moving his fingers through his hair to calm down.

He didn't notice that Roman was standing in the trees behind him, eyes wide, with a smile on his face. He hadn't noticed him sneak up to watch Logan's thought process sometime after he started talking about Patton. Logan's spiral was enough to make Roman take a few careful steps back, enjoying the flattery. He was cute when he was flustered, that was for sure.

After a few moments of making sure he was breathing, Logan decided that that was probably enough theorizing for today. When he went too far down the rabbit hole of emotions, he usually came out the other side dazed and distracted. Sometimes, like when he realized he was a boy, or when he realized he also liked boys, it ended well. Sometimes, like when he found out that he liked a cute boy who has been flirting with him and also happens to be the prince, it wasn't a great revelation.

Logan got up and made his way back to camp. He would deal with his emotions after he's had time to process them. Maybe they would go away before he really had to face them.

"Hey, Logan!" Patton looked up with a huge grin, still sitting where Logan had left him, though Logan noticed he was a few more pages into his notebook. "Where did you run off too?"

"I just went to clear my head. What have you been doing, Patton?" Patton blushed softly but held up his notebook.

"Writing a poem. It's what I like to do when I'm nervous." He laughed, looking back down at the paper. "Or feeling too much of anything, really."

"That is very interesting." Logan sat down next to him. "Would you mind sharing your poem with me?" Patton shook his head.

"No. Just... uh..." He laughed again. "Give me a second." Patton closed his eyes and took a breath.

"The neverending road  
The destination limitless  
Four friends walk side by side.

One hides a past,  
Eyes dark and lonely  
Shadows covering mental casts.

One hides in books  
Intelligent and calculated  
A sky of brilliant possibilities

One hides from genes  
A curse coming to take him  
Keeping him scared in plain sight

One hides out of ego  
A confidence boost  
Trying to keep up his mask

The neverending road  
Has to finish sometime  
So four continue on our way" Patton smiled, letting out a breath. There was a pause as Logan processed the words

"That was..." Logan breathed, utterly speechless.

"Was it too much? I just thought..."

"No, that was amazing, Patton." Logan quickly spoke, smiling. "I liked the verse inspired by myself." Patton giggled.

"Well, maybe I mixed up you and Roman!" Patton joked, nudging Logan with his shoulder.

"I enjoyed the way that you didn't repeat phrases when describing how each person hid." He paused, scanning over the words quickly. "The verse that describes you-"

"I'm back!" Roman called out loudly, dropping a pile of firewood at the pair's feet. Virgil opened the tent, wiping his eyes. He had obviously been sleeping, and he looked at everyone with wide eyes.

"What's happening?"

"We're about to make a fire, want to join us, Jack Sleepington?" Roman called over, grinning. Virgil grumbled something the others couldn't hear but came over to sit next to Logan. Roman quickly set up the wood for the fire and Patton reached into his bag for the matches, but Logan held up a hand.

"Roman, do you mind trying to use your abilities to start the fire this time? We're far enough away from other people so it wouldn't cause a scene, and I think we should probably start using our magic more." Roman paused, before nodding.

"Of course I can! One moment!" Roman closed his eyes tightly, holding his hand on the pile of wood. It took a few minutes of him making a few different facial expressions before a small fire started at the base of the sticks. Roman's face lit up with excitement, and he grinned, turning back to look at the others. Logan felt that small surge of pride again and gave him a congratulatory nod.

"Nice job, Romano," Virgil says dryly, but there's a hint of awe in his voice. Roman puffs out his chest but sits down around the fire. There are a few moments of silence as the group enjoys the company of each other, before Roman shifts a bit.

"I feel like I should say something." He pauses, and when no one interrupts him, he continues. "We should talk about what happened, shouldn't we? I mean..." His eyes widen. "If the reason that none of us were affected by the spell was because of the runes, then everyone but Logan is still at risk if she tries it again. I gave the mask to my brother because I didn't think it would be useful, and Patton's rune was his house." Virgil shifted next to Logan. "And Virgil's rune... did it wash off or something?" Virgil just nodded.

"You do have a very good point there..." Logan sighed, thinking for a moment before remembering. The box. He had brought the items his father had sent him in his bag, an extra safety measure. He reached into his bag and pulled out the cloak with the sleeves that he had wrapped the necklace and sash in.

"What's that?" Virgil tilted his head at the objects before glancing back up at Logan.

"These are the other objects I have that contain anti-magic runes. My father had them sent to me." He smiled and, not for the first time, was grateful for his father's timing.

"What are they?" Roman and Patton crowded around quickly, faces bright, and exited. Logan laughed softly, shaking his head, before unfolding the cloak and showing them each item.

"This one is a sash, I think it would fit Roman rather well." He held it out to Roman who happily took it, slipping it on over his clothing without untying it. He looked... well, he looked nothing less than regal, which was probably going to be a problem at some point, but it wouldn't stop Logan from staring at him with what he could only assume were wide eyes.

"See something you like, Logan?" Roman laughed, obviously joking, but Logan just nodded a little. The white and gold from Roman's outfit matched almost perfectly with the red in his sash. His darker complexion might have clashed, but somehow, everything mixed together beautifully. And his hair seemed to almost bring it all full circle, the mess of curls that gave him an almost heavenly glow. When they had first met, Logan realized, he had probably combed through his hair multiple times to make it look wavy instead of how chaotic it was. He glanced back to the necklace in his hands and handed it to Patton.

"I think this would be something that you would enjoy, Patton." Patton took it and clipped it around his neck, smiling at the charm. It wasn't as ground shifting as Roman's almost transformation, but it did seem to fit him, something simple but elegant and happy. Logan smiled, before turning to Virgil, unfolding the cloak.

"And you may enjoy this, Virgil." Virgil looked at it for a few moments, taking it. Logan couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he glanced back down to the more used cloak he already had on and seemed to make a decision, slowly taking the old cloak off, and covering where the others had seen the tattoo. It wasn't enough to stop any of them from seeing it in greater detail, but it was enough so that Logan couldn't help but try to study it before he took the other cloak and covered himself with it. Logan smiled. It fit, which was what he had been worried about. The sleeves were a little too long, but Virgil didn't seem to mind and looked back to Logan.

"T-Thank you." He smiled, shifting.

"Of course. Now we all have protection." Logan nodded, happy to be helping to keep his new friends safe. Patton giggled, clapping his hands.

"These are kind of like friendship bracelets!" He grinned.

"Friendship runes?" Roman raised an eyebrow. "Is that a thing?"

"It is now!" Patton said proudly, puffing out his chest. Logan laughed a little, as they continued to talk. This wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. His friends were... cute. He liked them. He hoped it would stay that way.


	13. The Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Childish Remus-like humor for half a second, Cute Patton, mentions of curses, worried people, a proposition that some might think is untrustworthy, but all in all, mostly an important transition plot chapter.

It was another two days until they reached another town. Logan told them that they were on schedule, and Patton chose to believe him. Patton had decided that he liked the people he was traveling with. Sure, Virgil could sometimes be a little too negative, or Roman and Logan would flirt with each other too much, or a joke would fly completely over someone's head, but he was enjoying the time they spent together.

Besides, every day that they spent out of his home was another day he felt he was really truly living.

Patton got up early that morning, he had taken first watch the night before with Roman and smiled when he saw Logan and Virgil asleep, Virgil's head leaning on Logan's shoulder. Yesterday everyone had been a little crabby, the lack of sleep, and the soreness in their bodies had started to get to them. Patton stretched. He was hungry. Really hungry. He thought back to what he had eaten the night before. He had eaten three sandwiches, which Roman had asked him about later. He was still hungry, and he whined softly since he knew no one would hear it.

He shook off the feeling and tried to shake off the soreness in most of his body as well. It didn't work. He walked over to his bag and got out a little more food. There was enough for breakfast, but he hoped they would make it to the town Logan wanted them to get to by lunch. They hadn't talked about money just yet, Patton didn't have access to any coin, so he hoped the others had brought enough to keep them fed and let them stay in actual beds that night. Patton didn't mind staying up on watch, but sleeping in the sleeping bags was starting to get more than a little uncomfortable. He quickly scarfed down what little food he had gotten for himself, but the hunger seemed to get worse.

Patton rubbed his head, trying to remember what his father had said to do when he got hungry like this. It didn't happen often, but when it did... his notebook. Right. He quickly walked over to his bag, grabbing the notebook out of the pocket in the front, and flipping to the page of notes his father had given him.

"Symptoms of the Curse." He mumbled out.

"1) Unexpected soreness" Patton re-read the words he had gone over a million times. He remembered his dad told him about how soreness just tended to come with the territory. He relaxed a little. "2) Unexpected hunger." Again, something that just came with the territory. "3) Eyes changing color." That was when it was time to freak out. His dad had told him that sternly. Do not panic if you wake up sore and hungry, those are just things that happen. But if someone tells you your eyes flash yellow, then it's time to get home or get somewhere safe.

Patton sighed. This was probably going to last for the rest of the day. He leaned back against the tree, suddenly tired. Roman stuck his head out, wiping sleep from his eyes.

"Everything alright, Padre? I heard you saying something." Patton straightened, putting on his smile.

"Of course, kiddo! Just rereading something I wrote yesterday!" Patton turned to Roman. "Do you want anything to eat? We should probably wake up Logan and Virgil in a few seconds so they can eat too." Roman grinned at him.

"That would be great, Pat. Thank you." Roman sat down next to where the fire had been the night before. "We're supposed to get to a town tonight?"

"Yep!" Patton grinned. "Maybe we can sleep in actual beds tonight!" Roman froze.

"Wait, really?" His eyes widened before he sighed dramatically, leaning back. "Oh thank the gods. I need a bed." He laughed, and Patton turned to find Logan looking at them, not moving from where Virgil had basically attached himself to him.

"Did you... Roman, did you bring money?" Logan's voice was soft so he didn't wake up Virgil, but the others understood him.

"No, why? Should I have?" Roman looked confused. "Why can't we just go and sleep in a bed?" Logan closed his eyes, leaning his head back with a long sigh.

"Roman, we will have to pay for the beds we use. I have enough money for maybe one room, but other then that, I don't think Patton has any money and Virgil has never seemed to have more than a few coins at a time." Virgil shifted as Logan said his name, and Logan petted his head softly, almost as if he wasn't realizing it. "So, and this was what I was afraid of, we will have to look for jobs when we get to the town tonight. Maybe we can do something with our abilities as well. Those jobs always pay more, and it will give us good practice."

"Oh." Roman looked at the ground before he spoke again. "I'm... uh... sorry."

"It's alright, Roman. This might help us train a little more. And we do need it." Virgil made a soft noise next to Logan and blinked a few times before realizing he was lying on Logan's shoulder, and sitting straight up, blushing.

"I-Uh... hi? Good morning." He looked away, pulling up the hood on the jacket Logan gave him and biting his lip.

"Good morning, Virgil." Logan smiled as if nothing had happened before turning back to Patton and Roman. "We were about to eat, before going to the town we are expected to be at tonight. We don't appear to have enough money to rent rooms for the four of us and get more food, so we will have to take a job." Logan stood up and stretched, before holding out a hand to Virgil, who carefully took it, getting up himself.

"Who wants food?" Patton chimed in with a grin, going over to his bag and taking out the last of the food they had, handing it to the other three.

"I'm alright, Patton, you can have my share." Logan smiled, holding up his hand.

"Are you sure?" Patton tilted his head.

"Positive." Logan walked over to the tent, starting to pack up as the others ate.

They got on the road quickly after that, and almost on instinct, started to play the game Logan had introduced to them.

"Ego, R-E-D" Virgil smirked, looking over at Roman who pouted.

"Red, R-O-Y-A-L." Roman puffed out his chest.

"Royal, P-A-I-N." Logan glanced over at Roman with amusement, and Roman huffed.

"Patton, they're targeting me!" Roman whined, throwing up his hands. "I cannot work in this environment."

"Pain!" Patton giggled. "U-P-S-E-T."

"Upset?" Virgil glanced at Logan, who nodded with a smile. "A-N-G-R-Y."

"Angry." Roman thought about it. "M-E-A-N."

"Mean. M-A-T-H." Logan spelled, and Roman snorted. "It is a perfectly respectable interpretation of the word, Roman."

"Sure it is, nerd." Roman 

"Math, H-A-R-D." Patton winced.

"Hard," Virgil started, but Roman started laughing. "Something funny, Princey?"

"No, not at all!" Roman said through laughter.

"I don't get it." Patton looked around, confused.

"I believe he was making a penis joke," Logan said with a straight face, which made Roman explode in childish giggles, having to hold onto Virgil to keep upright.

"Get off of me, creep." Virgil pushed him off but he was giggling as well.

"I am surrounded by children." Logan groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, we're here!" Patton called out, grabbing Logan's arm to stop him, and pointing.

The town was small, especially from where they stood. But it was visible and bustling, people all around, some twirling, some running to different places, and what seemed to be a shouting match had broken out in the middle of the square. Patton couldn't help but squeal in excitement at the idea of being in a town again. 

"Everyone ready?" Roman asked, grinning.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Virgil mumbled, sighing.

"Let's go!" Patton grabbed Virgil and Logan's hands, both of whom looked up in surprise, and Roman grabbed Logan's other hand. The group started running, well, really Roman and Patton started running, and Logan and Virgil were being dragged by them, to the town.

The buildings all around them were tall and made of a mixture of bricks and wood. Some of them had signs in the front that promoted the business, others seemed like homes. Patton spotted a nice looking tavern, something that didn't look expensive, but also didn't look like they would all be murdered in their sleep, and pulled the group towards it. They did get a few confused looks, but no one seemed to study them too hard, and no one seemed to recognize Roman, so Patton took that to be a success. 

The interior of the tavern wasn't at all like Patton had imagined taverns too be like. There were a few tables and booths in corners of the room, and most of it was made of wood, but there was a softness to all of it. It wasn't crowded, one or two people talking at a table who glanced up to study the four, before looking back down and talking a little quieter. A man at the bar looked up with a grin. He was large with huge muscles and tattoos of various objects and items up and down his arms. Logan reached into his bag, glancing back at the other three, before going to the counter.

"Hello, sir. We were looking to rent a room for the night?" The man looked them over with a small smile.

"How old are you kids?" Logan looks at the group.

"Well, I'm 16." Roman folds his arms.

"I am 17." Logan turns to Patton and Virgil.

"15." Virgil mumbles, folding his arms.

"I'm 16 too!" Patton finished, glancing awkwardly. He hoped their ages wouldn't keep them from staying in a room.

"Of course the nerd is the oldest." Roman nudges Virgil who bites his lip to try to stop an adorable grin and Logan rolls his eyes.

"Well, I'm not sure I can rent rooms to kids so young..." The man thinks.

"We have money if that's the issue." Logan looked worried now.

"Oh, hon, that isn't gonna be a problem." The man sighed, shaking his head. "How far away is your home?" No one spoke. "Alright, let me try it this way. How long have ya'll been traveling?"

"Four days," Patton spoke up and Logan nodded. The man sighed.

"Alright, fine. Ya'll can have the room," Logan began to pull out some money, but the man held up a hand. "No. You aren't paying. My wife would murder me if I took money from children."

"We aren't children." Roman pouts.

"You're under the age of 18, you're children." The man raises an eyebrow. "I can give you two rooms each with one bed. You'll have access to a bath and whatever else you find in the room, as long as we don't find anything missing when you leave." He sighed, pulling out two keys and tossing them to Roman, who caught them quickly. "We are still going to have to charge you if you want food. How much money do ya'll have?"

"I have two gold." Logan took out the money and held it in his palm, showing it to the man. He looked sympathetic.

"That's not gonna buy you enough food to get to any town beside the Kingdom Of Sides." The man mused. "You might want to take up a job. I know that the blacksmith on the other side of town might have a job for ya'll. See, ever since our magic got stolen by some witch, we haven't had the adventurer turnout we normally get, so there are a few things around here that might be more dangerous, but they're a one time gig, and you get paid an awful lot." He smiled at the group. "Tell him Gern sent you. He'll help you out." Logan blinked a few times.

"Uh... thank you." Logan glanced back to the group, obviously not expecting that.

"A word to the wise, though, Raymond, the blacksmith, doesn't take kindly to a whole group of strangers, especially ones so young. It might be better to just send one or two people to go talk to him." Logan paused, glancing back at Gern.

"Everything alright, Logie?" Patton asked without thinking, putting a hand on Logan's arm. Logan nodded. 

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking." His voice wasn't cold, but there was a calculated undertone to it that Patton wasn't used to. "Could we... uh... have some time to think it over?" Gern nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Of course. I get it, that probably sounded sketchy." Gern laughed, shaking his head. "Take as much time as you need, but the rooms are here if you need to use them. I'll be in the back if you need anything, so let me know." He gave them a sympathetic smile, before going into the backroom. Logan quickly went to sit in a booth where they could all fit, and Roman squeezed in next to him. Patton took his other side, and Virgil sat next to Roman in the end.

"Wait, let me guess." Roman held up a hand. "We can't trust him."

"Even he admitted it sounded sketchy, Ro. Logan would be right to think that way." Virgil crossed his arms.

"Logan, what do you think?" Patton glanced around before his gaze went back to Logan. A surge of hunger hit him like a wave and he winced. He would have to deal with that later.

"I think..." Logan said carefully. "That we can trust him." He sighed.

"Really?" Roman genuinely looked shocked.

"I'm not sure why, it might be a lapse in judgment, but he seemed actually worried about our health and wellbeing." Logan sighed. "And we do need the money." He looked at the group, and Patton noticed how tired he looked in just a moment before he seemed to put himself together again.

"I can go over and talk to the blacksmith!" Patton spoke before he realized what he was doing. Roman looked at him, surprised.

"Are you sure, Pat? That might not be a good idea..." Patton grinned at him.

"It's a great idea! I can go over and get the details, and you three can rest for a bit!" Patton made his best puppy eyes. "Please?" There were a few pauses as the group all exchanged looks. Roman was the first one to break.

"I mean, it couldn't hurt..." He looked to Virgil and Logan. 

"As long as you don't lower the pay or anything." Virgil shrunk into his seat.

"I suppose..." Logan started before shaking his head. "Go ahead, Patton. And thank you."

"Of course!" Patton got up, bouncing on his toes as he walked out of the tavern. An odd feeling washed over him, but he shook it off, blinking a few times. It was probably nothing, he just wasn't used to being outside as much.

The road through the town was curvy, but Patton found his way to the blacksmiths fairly easily. The building was tall and there was smoke coming out the chimney. There was a big sign in the front with curvy letters that read 'Raymond's Smithy'. Patton didn't know the proper precautions when entering a shop, so he knocked instead.

"Come in." A gruff voice called, and Patton opened the door slowly. "Yeah, whaddya need?" 

"Are you Raymond?" Patton asked, stepping into the room. It was better lit than he was expecting, a forge roaring with life in a corner, and a man was sitting at a table, looking up.

"Yeah. What do you need, kid?" The man looked up. "I'm busy." He didn't look busy, he was just sitting at his table, not really doing anything, but Patton decided not to say that.

"Uh... Gern sent me? He was telling me about a job you wanted to be done?" Patton spoke softly, glancing around at the room again. 

"Oh. Is it just you?" Raymond raised an eyebrow. "This job might be better for multiple people..."

"No, I have friends," Patton said quickly. "He just told us that it might be better if one of us went?" Raymond laughed.

"Of course he did. He was always one to think about others' feelings first." He mumbled the last part mostly to himself as he got up. "Are your friends any good at magic or fighting?" Patton grinned.

"Well, we do have a lot of magic. And one of us is pretty strong, so I think so!" Patton bounced on his toes.

"Good. Alright." He paused. "How old are you?"

"I'm 16?" Patton winced. "We really need the money, we're traveling a really long way, and we might not be able to buy enough food and-"

"It's not an issue, I just need to make sure you kids are gonna be safe." Raymond sighed. "Alright, so here's the thing. There's a cave nearby, I'll give you directions if you decide to take the job, but there are a few monsters that have taken up residence there. It didn't use to affect the people in the town, but recently they've gotten..." He pauses. "More aggressive. We think it has to do with the lack of magic in some of the surrounding areas. We need someone to go and clear out the cave and take care of our issue." He winces. "I can pay you at least twenty gold." He paused, looking back at Patton, before sighing. "But maybe because Gern is sending me to you, I'll pay fifty." Patton lit up.

He had never seen that type of money before. His father worked hard, but most money he got was kept away from Patton's view. His father had never wanted him to worry about financial things. Fifty gold would be insane. It would be an amazing amount of money. The others would be really excited, and he nodded quickly.

"Tell me everything!"


	14. The Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Ok, so this entire chapter is a little spicy, a lot of flirting, kissing, and whatnot. I would suggest reading it because it has plot stuff, but if you don't like to read this stuff, then you can skip to the next chapter once I post it. There's not a lot more than heated kissing in this. Enjoy the fluff while it lassstttsss. Also, strong language.

There were a few seconds of silence after Patton bounced out the door. Roman didn't want to say anything, not wanting to break the careful silence that they seemed to have set up. He looked to Logan who was biting his lip, looking lost in thought, before glancing at Virgil. Virgil looked pained, eyes closed, and wincing.

"Are you alright, hot topic?" Roman tilted his head.

"Yeah. I am... just... a headache." Virgil paused. "Did you just call me hot?" Roman grinned.

"Maybe." He tilted his head. "Do you need to lie down or something? Or we could get something to drink, that might help?" Virgil shook his head.

"I might just need to clear my head." Virgil looked to the other two. "Do you mind if I go for a walk?" Roman glanced at Logan, who was now looking at the two of them.

"I have no objections, just be back soon and don't go too far." Logan smiled.

"Let us know if you need anything, we'll miss you." Roman teased, tilting his head, but he realized he meant it. He hadn't really had one on one time with anyone but Patton since the night with Logan. He was always worried that Logan would hate him or he would say something that made them uncomfortable. But even when they were on the road, he enjoyed the dynamic between each of them. It was comforting.

Virgil snorted, but nodded, standing up, and taking a few moments to steady himself. For a second, Roman wanted to stop him, to tell him to sit back down and not exert himself, but then his eyes cleared and he gave a small smile to Roman, before walking out the front.

"Well, well, it appears we're alone." Roman turned to Logan with a smirk. He was adorable in the way that he looked confused for half a second before his eyes widened slightly at the realization of what Roman was implying.

"I suppose we are." He didn't look directly at Roman and it made Roman want to lean forward and take the other boy's chin in his hand. He didn't, not yet, but he thought back to what he heard a few days ago in the woods. Logan was a flustered mess and Roman had enjoyed watching.

"So..." Roman moved closer to Logan, having their legs bump together as if he didn't notice. "What do you feel like doing?" He asked, and Logan turned to look at him.

"What... what do you mean?" Logan asked, blinking a few times. 

"Well... we are all alone now, with a few rooms at our disposal, we could do pretty much anything we wanted..." Roman gave Logan a look, and Logan rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't cost anything and that isn't illegal." Roman laughed.

"Of course. And I wonder what would fit those parameters?" Logan blinked a few times again, biting his lip.

"And what did you have in mind?" His voice was softer than before, and Roman grinned.

"Oh, I have a few ideas." Roman put his hand on Logan's shoulder, and Logan didn't move away. Roman brought his face a little closer to Logan's and once again, Logan didn't move away. 

"Well, are you going to show me, or am I going to have to infer by myself?" Roman wasn't expecting him to say that. His tone was matching Roman's, though in his own way. Teasing and slow and calculated, but there was a hint of something else there as well. Nervousness. Excitement. 

So Roman kissed him.

It was the most reckless thing he had ever done in his life. More than following a random woman who promised him food. More than leaving his guards to explore the city on his own. More than trusting his brother not to play a prank. He was kissing someone that he barely knew, though he felt like he had known him for months. There was a brief moment before Logan kissed back, hesitant and careful and gentle. Roman didn't ramp it up on purpose, but he was kissing Logan, and suddenly his arms were boxing Logan in, and he was practically sitting on the other boy's lap.

Logan couldn't think straight. To be fair, it was usually hard for him to think straight in general, but at this point, all the alarms were raised in his mind. Roman was kissing him. Roman had kissed him. The prince of his country, someone he'd only thought about, and, let's face it, had fantasized about a few times, the boy who he had a poster on his wall of as a child, the prince with whom he had realized both that he was a boy, and that he liked boys, was actually kissing him. In the middle of a tavern.

And suddenly, he realized what was happening. Roman was on top of him. 

That was not going to do.

**_*If you aren't okay with more spicy stuff, stop here and I'll tell you when to pick up*_ **

Logan's hands gently went up to Roman's pretending to be instinct so that Roman didn't think anything of it. Roman didn't seem to notice, still kissing Logan, and Logan couldn't help but smile. In one swift motion, Logan flipped them over, grabbing both of Roman's wrists in one of his hands, and straddling his waist. That was when they pulled away, both panting slightly as they looked at each other. Logan couldn't help but smirk a little.

"This is something I'm more used to." His voice was soft and low, deeper than before, and Roman's eyes were wide, looking up at Logan. Roman had not been expecting it, but that didn't mean the sight of Logan above him and the feeling of his wrists being trapped wasn't intoxicating.

"Whoa." Logan tilted his head.

"Are you alright with this? You don't have to be, and if you want to stop-" His hand loosened around Roman's wrists and it took all Roman could to not whine.

"No!" Roman quickly cut him off, shaking his head. "No! That was really..." He trailed off, not knowing how to say it. "Good." He finally decided on.

"Good," Logan repeated, smiling at him, before grabbing him by his sash, one hand still keeping his wrists pinned above him, and pulled him forward, kissing him with more force this time. And Roman was happy to go along with it, matching Logan's enthusiasm. When Logan's tongue brushed against Roman's lips, Roman gasped and let him claim his mouth. After a few moments, they pulled away, and Logan looked around.

"Is... everything okay?" Roman was more breathless than he would like to admit, flushed and panting and smiling.

"Yes... I just..." Logan was frustratingly put together, and it was really all Roman could focus on. "Do you mind if we go upstairs?" His voice was low and quiet, almost as if telling a secret, and that in itself was sexy, but it was the words that made Roman pause.

"Why?" Roman tilted his head but matched Logan's volume.

"We are... fairly public, and while I would like to continue kissing you senseless," Roman shivered. "If the others come back at this point we will have to explain what's happening, and I would prefer to talk before we disclose any information to them." Roman nodded, looking around. They were still in the common area of the tavern, Logan had a point. And Logan obviously would want to talk about it after. Going upstairs was probably a good option, though it did make Roman's stomach do flip flops. He couldn't tell if it was in a good way, or a bad way.

"Got it. To the room, then!" Roman almost announced, nodding hurriedly. Logan smiled a little but took Roman's hand, kind of dragging Roman over to the stairs they had seen before. They climbed them, and Roman took out the key from his pocket, handing it to Logan.

"Room 102..." Logan muttered, before finding the room and opening it with the key, practically pushing Roman inside before closing it and locking it behind them.

Roman had to admit, it was pretty hot.

"Where were we?" Logan asked, hungry eyes fixed on Roman, and Roman almost melted.

"I think you were kissing me senseless." Roman supplied. That earned a laugh from Logan, who instantly kissed him once more, one hand going to his hair, and the other going to his sash. Roman eagerly kissed back but wasn't sure what to do with his own hands, deciding to put them on Logan's hips. Logan hummed in satisfaction, playing with Roman's hair. Roman didn't notice how close to the bed they were getting before the back of his knees bumped against it unexpectedly, making him fall backward. He let out a gasp of surprise, and Logan laughed awkwardly.

"Are you okay?" There was a genuine concern in his voice that made Roman want to groan and tell him to shut up and kiss him again.

"Yeah." Roman leaned up and grabbed Logan's ascot, pulling him down, and bringing their lips together. Logan would have laughed, but he was busy adjusting himself on the bed so they were both comfortable.

To say that Logan's mind was running wild was an understatement. He generally didn't like letting his mind wander like this, but Roman had kissed him first, so maybe he could allow himself a small moment of fantasizing. At first, it was more innocent, Roman kissing him after a date or Logan telling Roman about a book he had found interesting, but quickly, the thoughts turned more heated. Logan pinning Roman to a wall and teasing him. Roman's hands tied in his own sash with Logan's ascot around his eyes. Roman with visible marks on his neck the day after so people would know Logan claimed him. Those thoughts were driving him wild, and he began to kiss down Roman's neck.

Roman in return was trying to hide how utterly happy and helpless he felt at that moment and pretty much failing, not able to stop the small whines and moans that escaped his mouth. Every time Logan heard one, he seemed to almost reward Roman with a small playful bite to his neck, nothing that would leave a mark, but enough to make him squirm. Roman was falling apart in the best way. But then Logan started to realize that if they continued, he might not be able to stop, so he pulled away for a moment, just hovering over Roman. Roman could tell there was something wrong.

**_*Come back everyone who doesn't like spice!*_ **

"Is everything okay?" Roman's voice was much breathier than he would ever like to admit.

"Yes... just..." Logan bit his lip, glancing to the side. "We... we should talk. Before anything else happens." Roman resisted the urge to ask why.

"Alright. Talking. That's... that's something I can do right now." Logan gave Roman a stern look.

"Talking about things is important Roman. I need to know where we stand on certain topics, ideas, and actions." Logan shifted so he was no longer straddling Roman, and Roman sat up. He didn't want to have this conversation now, but if it was important to Logan, then he would do it.

"Of course. Right." Roman paused. "Which topics, ideas, and actions?" 

"First of all," Logan took off his glasses, cleaning them on his shirt. "What... what do you want to happen with this."

"What do you mean?" Roman tilted his head as Logan replaced his glasses.

"Am I your fuck buddy or your boyfriend?" Logan's tone was calm and collected, and Roman's eyes widened.

"What? I mean- gods, what?" He sputtered, not knowing how to respond to the question. Logan's face didn't change, still looking at him with that intense expression. "I mean, I wouldn't use those terms-"

"What terms should I use?" Logan looked confused, tilting his head at Roman.

"I... I don't know. But... I mean... for here, I guess boyfriend?" Logan's eyes widened.

"Really?" His voice was quieter than before, almost in awe, and Roman nodded.

"I mean, that's how people do it, right?" Roman cursed his words as soon as they left his mouth because now Logan was looking at him with a mix of concern and curiosity.

"Have you... never dated someone before?"

"Of course I have!" Roman huffed, folding his arms and glancing up to the corner of the room.

"Roman, don't lie to me." Logan's tone was stern, and Roman deflated

"So maybe I haven't ever had a relationship before, so what?"

"Have you... was that your..." Logan seemed to be processing something.

"First kiss?" Roman asked softly, and Logan nodded. Roman hesitated before answering the question. "Yeah."

"Oh." Logan paused. "Did you... enjoy it?" Roman laughed.

"Yeah. I did."

"Excellent." Logan glanced away.

"Was it yours?" Logan glanced back to Roman, flushing a little, before quickly shaking his head.

"I do not have as much experience as someone else might, but I have dated a few people in the past." Logan pauses. "Is... is that going to be an issue?"

"No! Not at all! At least one of us knows what they're doing." Roman laughed, and Logan smiled with relief.

"Alright. So, you want to be my boyfriend." Logan repeated and Roman nodded. "And you told me that by kissing me and not by asking me to go out with you." Roman sputtered.

"Well- you were... I haven't done this before, okay?" Roman huffed, and Logan laughed.

"Well?" Logan tilted his head.

"Well, what?"

"Are you going to ask me on a date?"

"Well, I don't know, you certainly seemed to take charge earlier." Roman raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I'd like to think the ball is now in your court." Logan paused, before nodding.

"Alright, Prince Roman Seymor, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?" Roman grinned.

"Well, I don't know..." Roman looked away thoughtfully. Logan paused a moment before grabbing Roman by his sash and kissing him forcefully. Roman let out a small squeak of a surprise but kissed back quickly, matching his enthusiasm.

"Do you need to think about it now?" Logan asked as they pulled apart, still holding Roman close to him.

"I might need a little more convincing." Roman grinned and Logan rolled his eyes but kissed him again.

"Was that satisfactory?" Logan's voice was little more than a growl, and Roman nodded.

"Yeah." Roman shivered, and Logan let go of his sash with a smirk. "Wow."

"I suppose..." Logan cleared this throat. "Now we should go over boundaries."

"Okay, what in particular?" Roman licked his lips quickly, trying not to think of anything too dirty.

"Well... I like kissing you. So I would like to keep kissing you." Roman laughed.

"I like kissing you too." Roman tilted his head.

"What about hickeys?" Logan asked bluntly, and Roman blinked a few times.

"Uh... I mean... what about them?" Roman's voice was higher pitched than before, and his hand went to his neck where Logan's mouth had been moments before. 

"Would you be comfortable with me leaving them?" Roman decided not to point out that eventually, he could also leave some on Logan.

"I think so... yeah... that would be nice..." Roman was starring at the floor.

"Alright, and... well, I'm assuming that you haven't.... gone farther than kissing before." Roman nodded. "We'll go at your pace, Roman. Nothing crazy or fast."

"I'd... I'd like to stick to kissing for now." Logan nods.

"I can work with that. And... what information do you want to disclose to the other two." Roman's brow furrowed.

"Are you suggesting we don't tell them? Why? I don't want to lie to them." Roman folded his arms.

"I'm not suggesting we lie-"

"Keeping things from them is lying." Roman pointed out.

"I'm aware. I just... this is very new. We are learning about each other. And if something doesn't work out... I don't want the others to feel uncomfortable. With us being together or with us breaking up if it happens." Logan looked at the floor, and Roman suddenly could see how worried he was, not even about himself, but about the other two.

"We just got together, and you're already planning for us to break up? I am wounded." Roman joked, trying his best to get rid of some of the anxiety he saw in Logan.

"What? I didn't mean-" Logan stopped himself, looking back to see Roman pretending to faint, lying on his back, one hand on his forehead, looking away with a grin. "Oh. You're teasing me again." And Roman could hear him smile a little.

"Yes, I am." Roman looked back at him. "But you don't want to tell the other two." Logan nodded.

"I'm not saying that we hide it necessarily if they figure it out eventually, wonderful. All I'm saying is that maybe we don't come right out and tell them until we have gotten our own grip on this relationship." Logan's tone hadn't changed, but he did relax a little, so Roman gave himself a pat on the back.

"I'm fine with that." Roman sat up again. "Are you... are you alright with me flirting with the others then? Because even though I love flirting with you, if I stop flirting with the others as well, they might know something's up." Logan thought about it before nodding.

"You can flirt with the others, I don't think I will mind, and if I do I promise to tell you." Logan glanced up to meet Roman's eyes and Roman smiled.

"Alright, perfect. So, is that everything you wanted to talk about?" Logan paused, before nodding.

"It's really everything that I can think of at the moment. If something else comes up, I would like to be able to discuss it with you." Roman nodded, thinking back to what he had talked about with Picani and Remy.

"Communication is key to any relationship." Logan looked a little surprised.

"That is correct." Roman smiled and Logan raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I read that in a book somewhere. Anyway." He tilted his head at Logan. "What else would you like to do?" There was certainly something Roman wanted to do, but he wanted Logan to say it first.

"Well..." And Logan moved closer to Roman, putting his hand on the other boy's. "I wouldn't be opposed to kissing until the other two return."

"Perfect. Exactly what I had in mind." Roman grinned, and Logan rolled his eyes but leaned forward to kiss Roman. This time it was sweeter and softer, and Roman could have melted. Logan's hand went up to cup his cheek, and Roman put his arms around Logan's neck.

If this was how it was going to be all the time, Roman wasn't sure that they would be hiding it from the others very well.


	15. The Group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Talking to oneself, mentions of a fire, mentions of people's eyes changing color (where have we heard that before?) and just mostly a filler chapter.

"What do you want?" Virgil asked almost as soon as he left the tavern. He walked a little way into town but decided that being in the open for this conversation might not be a great idea, so he headed into one of the alleyways.

'All I want to do is to help you, Virgil.' Virgil rolled his eyes.

"Sure. That's why you gave me a migraine in the middle of a tavern." He sighed.

'Should... should I not do that?' There was uncertainty in the voice that made Virgil hesitate.

"No. You shouldn't." There was a weighted pause between the two of them. "Did you... really not know that?"

'Not every demon is as experienced in the art of making deals with mortals. It doesn't happen for some people.' The voice now sounded defensive, and Virgil paused again.

"Demon?" There was no response. "I'm not going to get mad, I know you're more powerful than me. Just... demon, really?"

'Yes. Demon. Is that going to be a problem?' It now sounded defensive, and Virgil realized two things. It probably wasn't a good idea to make it upset, and in the years he had known this voice to call to him in the middle of the night, he still didn't know its name.

"What... what do you usually go by?" Virgil was careful not to show too much interest, not yet. But still.

'I am called Darius.' Virgil nodded.

"Darius," Virgil repeated, before another thing Darius had said. "Alright. And... and I'm your first?"

'First what? I didn't say anything about first.' Darius instantly sounded worried, laughing with an awkward breath.

"I'm your first deal. I'm the first person you've made a deal with." Virgil tried to process it.

'So what.' And the shadowy figure appeared in front of Virgil. It was really one of the first times he had ever seen him. The first time had been that night, the night Virgil had made the deal. The screams still sometimes rang in his mind, the light and flames and heat and horror that he felt. the terror and the tears that streamed down his face. The way he had curled in on himself so the people wouldn't see him. Wouldn't tell him what he knew. That his parents hadn't made it out. That he was alone. That he would have to go to an orphanage and wait for someone else to take care of him. Someone who wasn't his parents. 

The last time he had seen the demon had happened when Virgil was panicking in the middle of his room and Janus was nowhere to be found. He had materialized in front of him and helped him through the hazy terror. It had been odd, he at first thought it was Janus in front of him. Instead, when he opened his eyes he had seen the demon, which had almost sent him back into his crazed spiral. 

He looked like Virgil remembered even though he didn't see him a lot, pure black skin matched with pure white eyes. His hair seemed to wave around his head like smoke rising from his scalp. Virgil had never thought to think of him as a person before, merely a distraction, or an annoyance. But now he was materialized in front of Virgil, and Virgil instantly got nervous, glancing around. What if Patton came by now and saw him talking to this demon.

"Other people can't see me. Or hear me. Only you. You're the one who made the deal, after all." Virgil nodded slowly.

"But I'm really your first?" Virgil didn't know why he was so stuck on this. It was a little weird, but something was comforting about the way that the demon in front of him shifted awkwardly before sighing. 

"Yes, Virgil, you are my first." And something in Virgil melted a little. The fact that this demon was probably as scared as he was about... well... everything. 

"Do you... do you know what you're doing?" Virgil asked, tilting his head.

"Would it make you feel better if I said yes?" Darius folded his arms.

"It would make me feel better if you answered the question honestly." Virgil shot back, shifting his weight, trying to look powerful. Darius sighed.

"My bloodline tends to not enjoy making deals unless they are with powerful mages or rulers. I myself have not been able to get that close to someone that powerful before. But I saw you, and I saw how scared you were, and I needed to help." He paused, but Virgil, despite being moved, didn't back down. He still hadn't answered the question. Darius deflated. "I have some ideas about what I'm doing. But I have no real-world experience."

"Wow." It was really all Virgil could say. 

"I'm also not supposed to tell people, so I just broke the rules for you, I hope you're happy." Darius huffed, and Virgil laughed in surprise.

"Well, I wouldn't say happy. You are a demon who is taking up space in my brain." Virgil didn't mean to tease him, but it came out playful.

"There was a lot of space up there." Virgil shivered, laughing. "But... I've told you before, you just have to say the word. I know you don't want me intruding in your conversations, but there are ways to break our pact."

"I don't want to." Virgil let out a shaky breath. It was the truth. He felt like he had a friend when Darius was around. He liked that feeling a little too much for it to be completely healthy.

"Excellent. Now all you need to do is stop asking me to leave you alone. You're powerful. I have made you powerful, and that witch's spell has made you powerful. But you need me." Virgil sighed.

"You get how that sounds creepy, right? Or overbearing or something like that?"

"It does? Oh." Darius pauses. "Maybe that's why I haven't made a deal besides you..."

"Is that how you usually open?" 

"That's not fair, I didn't know! Stop laughing at me! I thought it was something people did! That's what they always do in the stories! And it works!" Virgil clutched his stomach, trying to breathe in between bouts of laughter.

"Oh my goodness, you really don't know anything, do you?"

"I haven't had a lot of practice!" Darius pouted, actually pouted, and folded his arms

"Oh my goodness."

"You didn't go out very often!" He was whining now, throwing up his hands

"You seriously have no idea what the world is like, do you?" Virgil looked up wiping tears from his eyes.

"Well, I've been with you most of your life, so apparently you don't either!" Darius sounded more like a child than before, even stomping his foot. Virgil straightened, putting his hands on his hips.

"Excuse you, I know what the world is like, you just aren't paying attention half the time." He actually didn't know how often Darius is with him, he doesn't normally know unless he says something.

"I resent that, I pay attention far more often than you want to admit." Darius huffed, looking away.

"I-"

"Virgil!" Patton waved to him, and Virgil started, turning his head quickly to see where Patton was. He was standing at the opening of the alleyway. "What's up? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a headache." It was technically the truth, and Patton walked up to him with a grin.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"He wants us for the job! At least, he seemed like he did! And he's paying us!" Patton grinned, clapping his hands, and Virgil watched as there was a brief pause, and Patton's eyes seemed to change color for a split second. They turned from the warm welcoming brown they usually were to yellow, before going back to brown. Virgil blinked a few times. He must be seeing things.

"That's awesome, Pat!" His enthusiasm was almost infectious, and Virgil found himself smiling even though he didn't know why this was so exciting.

"Guess how much?" Patton held out a fist, and Virgil thought about it before shaking his head.

"How much?"

"Fifty gold! He gave me twenty-five up front!" Patton laughed at Virgil's wide eyes, glancing around. "We should go tell the others! And then we should go get dinner somewhere! A victory dinner!" Patton was already marching out of the alley, and it was all Virgil could do to follow him. Patton was practically vibrating with excitement as they got into the tavern, and they looked around.

"Where are the other two?" Virgil asked, worry bubbling in his stomach. 

"Hey," Gern held up a hand, he must have come back out from the back. "I came out and I saw your friends going upstairs. I think they went to go check the rooms or something, so if you're worried, I think that's where they ran off too."

"Thanks, Gern!" Patton grinned, walking over to the stairs before Gern held up a hand.

"Hey, sorry, I don't think I asked your names?" He hadn't, but Virgil still hesitated. He didn't know who would know his name, or if people were still looking for him. He was sure, at the very least, they wouldn't be looking for him this far out of the kingdom.

"I'm Patton, this is Virgil, upstairs are Logan and-"

"And Ro." Virgil cut Patton off, not wanting to say anything that would spark anyone's memory of the prince.

"Alright, well, it's very nice to meet you. If ya'll need food, there's a nice place across the street, you should be able to get something nice and cheap. Good quality too." Patton laughed and nodded.

"Thanks, Gern!" He grabs Virgil's hand and practically drags him up the stairs. "Alright, which room do you think they're in?"

"I'm not sure..." Virgil glanced around, and Patton grinned

"I'll bet you one gold that they're in room 101." Virgil hesitated, but then he heard Darius in his ear.

'Take the bet.'

"Deal." Virgil grinned and Patton went to knock on the door to room 101.

"Logan? Roman?"

In the room next to 101, Logan heard Patton and Virgil walking up the stairs. He pulled away from Roman and put a finger to his lips.

"What's going on, why did you stop?" Roman had enough sense to whisper, though it did come out as more of a whine. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and it was kind of obvious what they had been doing. Logan gave himself a few moments to enjoy how absolutely wrecked Roman looked, before realizing they would have to hide this from the other two.

"Virgil and Patton are coming." Logan smoothed out his hair, taking off his glasses, and adjusting his ascot. Roman blinked a few times before it seemed to dawn on him what that meant.

"Oh." He looked down at himself. His shirt was falling off of one of his shoulders, his hair was mussed, and all in all, he didn't look like he did before. "Uh..."

"Dang! I guess I owe you a gold!" Patton giggled from the hallway. Logan glanced around before his gaze landed on the bathroom door.

"In there." He pointed, and Roman nodded, quickly getting up to go and close the bathroom door. He sighed, leaning against it, taking a few deep breaths to process what had just happened. He turned to the mirror and tried to straighten out his hair, messing with it a little bit before moving to his shirt. There were a few marks, he now noticed, that sent a surprising thrill up his spine. All of them were able to be covered up, and Roman was just slightly disappointed. He knew Logan had been being careful, and he shivered thinking of what Logan might do when he lost the control he held onto.

"There you are!" Patton opened the door, turning to look at Logan. He looked surprisingly put together, sitting on the bed, reading a book. 

"You're back." Logan glanced up as if he hadn't just been kissing the prince of their country. Patton, of course, didn't notice. Neither did Virgil, who entered after Patton. "How was your walk, Virgil?"

"Enlightening," Virgil said sarcastically, before realizing that in reality, it had been sort of enlightening. He took to flopping onto a chair that was in a corner of the room, moving it so he was sitting across from Logan. "Where's Roman?"

"He had to use the bathroom," Logan answered simply, making the book in his hand dissipate.

"What did you two get up to?" Patton took the spot next to Logan on the bed, and Logan licked his lips quickly, not avoiding eye contact, but not looking directly at either of them.

"We talked." Roman came out from the bathroom, his shirt intact, and hair in place. Logan felt a pang of disappointment but didn't say anything. He hoped it didn't show on his face. 

"Oh! You're back!" Roman grinned. "How was the walk, emo nightmare?" Roman walked over to the large chair Virgil was sitting in and sat in it, almost on top of him. Virgil squeaked, moving over so he had space, before hitting Roman softly on the head.

"Roman get off!"

"Nope! I have rested here so here is where I shall stay." Roman leaned back onto Virgil, and suddenly, Virgil was sitting on top of Roman instead of Roman practically sitting on him. Everyone seemed a little surprised, including Virgil. In his mind, he could practically see Darius grinning. And there was a rush of energy that Virgil felt the first time he had teleported.

"Well, I suppose then there is where you will stay." Virgil thought about getting up and moving, but Roman was surprisingly comfortable even though he was squirming.

"No fair, you used magic, you cheated!" Virgil reclined, almost smothering Roman who pushed him off, laughing. Patton giggled too, but Logan's eyes were wide watching this, his mind racing.

"Virgil, did you mean to teleport just now? I don't mean to dampen the mood, I would just like to know for future reference." Logan was resisting the urge to reach for his notebook which was with the rest of the group's bags, abandoned at the foot of the bed. Virgil shrugged.

"I didn't... but I guess that was kind of cool?" Logan nodded.

"It was extremely... ah-hem. Cool." Logan tried, before wincing and shaking his head. "I don't believe slang is for me." Virgil laughed a little, grinning. 

"Yeah, I cringed just watching it, teach." Virgil sighed, and Roman rolled his eyes.

"Ok, Patton, what did you learn?" Roman asked as the group seemed to calm down.

"Right!" Patton seemed to come back to attention, blinking a few times. "Sorry, I'm feeling a little off today."

"Patton, your health is of the utmost importance. If you aren't feeling well, maybe we should rest..." Logan looked worried, hand going up to feel Patton's forehead. Patton laughed, shaking his head, grabbing Logan's hand before it could touch him.

"Not in that way, I just woke up in a weird mood, nothing to be worried about." Logan didn't look convinced, and neither was Virgil. Patton seemed like the type of person who wouldn't tell someone if they were sick because they didn't want them to worry.

"If you're certain, but if you start to feel worse, we will let you rest. None of us are used to this lifestyle, so it is only natural for there to be some resistance to the transition. Illness might be a side effect, especially to both of you, Roman and Patton. Moreso to Patton, of course, but being inside for so long might have negative effects if you end up going outside suddenly with bugs and diseases." Logan was trying not to seem worried and failing, and Virgil resisted the urge to go over and hug him and tell him that everything was going to be alright.

"Don't worry, my nerdy companion. I won't let any illnesses hurt our friends!" Roman did the best he could to strike as heroic a pose with Virgil in his lap. 

"I don't think you can fight off illness like that, but thank you for the sentiment, Roman." Logan smiled appreciatively.

"Anyway!" Patton waved his hands. "The job!"

"Right, the job." Logan blushed a little, turning to look at Patton. Patton grinned.

"So, basically, they want us to go clear out a cave of these weird monsters. Apparently, they're giant bugs that ended up taking over the cave, and they've been getting more and more aggressive, though they aren't actually too powerful. He told me that if there were four of us with magic, all we would really need to send in would be three, and the last person could keep watch."

"So we're fighting? We can't talk them out of hurting the townspeople?" Roman seemed a little disappointed. Patton shook his head.

"I asked." Patton looked disappointed, sagging a little bit.

"You asked?" Virgil's eyes widened. He couldn't understand why they would even need to ask. If the monsters were attacking people, didn't that say enough? "What? Why would that even be a thought that crossed your mind?"

"Oh, shut up, surly temple. Some people don't always want to solve things with violence." Roman raised an eyebrow, alluding to something, and for a moment, Virgil was confused. Until it hit him and he took a deep breath.

"To be fair, those guards threatened me first." Virgil folded his arms.

"To be fair, you had stolen something from Logan's store."

"To be fair, he let me!"

"To be fair," Logan interrupted, "We were listening to Patton." Virgil and Roman stopped bickering.

"Sorry, Patton."

"Yeah, sorry,"

"Thank you. Patton, continue?" Logan turned his attention back to Patton.

"Right, so he told us that we had to clean out the cave, and then he'd give us twenty-five more gold!"

"More?" Logan's eyes were wide.

"Yeah! He gave me twenty-five gold pieces! It's so cool! We're gonna be rich!" Patton bounced a little on the bed, clapping his hands. 

"Fifty gold isn't rich." Roman wrinkled his nose.

"It's more money than most of us have seen." Logan points out. "For some of us, it's more money than we've ever had."

"Really?" Roman genuinely looked shocked, and it was all Virgil could do not to punch him.

"Yes, Princey. Some of us weren't lucky enough to be born into a position of power. Some of us had to steal to be able to eat." He was referencing the bickering that had happened before, but Roman's face was one of genuine worry.

"So that was what you were talking about?" Virgil didn't respond, turning back to the group.

"So, do we want to do this tomorrow, or tonight?" The group all seemed to glance out the window at once. It was getting dark. 

"Let's go get dinner together!" Patton grinned, giving them unintentional puppy eyes. "We have money now! And I want to get you guys something!" Logan bit his lip, looking to the others. Roman was nodding emphatically, and Virgil sighed.

"Food sounds good."

"Yay!" Patton grinned, clapping, before jumping up. "Let's go!"

And that was how the group found themselves enjoying the rest of the evening in each other's company.


	16. The Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Spiders. Spiders and wolves. And more spiders but also wolves. Also strong language. And fighting. Lots of fighting. This is a fun chapter.

"Remind me again why we're leaving Patton?" Virgil asked as he, Logan, and Roman walked further into the darkness of the cave. At least he had waited long enough so Patton wouldn't hear them.

"Because we need someone at the mouth of the cave just in case something happens. A scout, if you will." Roman explained it like Logan had explained it to him the night before when they had chosen to sleep together in the same room. Roman had agreed almost instantly. Like Logan, he was also probably worried about Patton. The fact that Patton had told them he was feeling, as he put it "Off" was just something that made Logan realize they needed to protect him a little more than either Roman or Virgil. Unlike Roman, however, Virgil didn't seem convinced.

"That's what you told Patton. Now tell me the real reason?" Virgil folded his arms, stopping, and Logan turned back to look at him. Virgil was looking directly at Logan with an expectant expression, and Roman seemed a little lost, glancing back to Logan as well for answers.

"We don't know what he can do." Logan relents. Virgil scoffed.

"We barely know what any of us can do. We haven't really tested any theories, teach." Logan sighed.

"I'm aware of that, and trust me, as soon as we are away from the city, I would love nothing more than to go into an open area where we can figure out how to control what we can do, or even figure out exactly what abilities we possess. But at the moment, the only ability we are aware that Patton has is healing."

"Which would be useful if someone gets hurt!" Virgil still didn't seem moved.

"Or, and I'm aware that this is a worst-case-scenario, but bear with me, he could get separated from us, and he could be the one who ends up getting hurt. We aren't aware if he can heal himself, and I would prefer not to realize he cannot in the middle of a battle." Logan matched Virgil's stance, adjusting his glasses. Virgil faltered.

"I... I didn't think of that."

"Yes, that is why I'm here. To help you all think of things you might not otherwise." Logan smiles. "And, it will be nice to have a backup if things go wrong. If we all get stuck doing something, or all get separated, it will be nice to have someone to call in." He turned around, and the group started walking again. Noticeably slower this time, but Logan didn't mind.

"And you decided to bring both of us because...?" Virgil didn't sound skeptical, just nervous, so Logan decided to give the real answer.

"Because both of you have shown offensive abilities in the past. I'm sure my ability could also be used as an offensive power, or even a defensive power if need be. Roman was able to summon a flaming sword when he first used his magic, and you, Virgil have shown us the ability to shoot lightning out of your hands. Both of those are valuable in a fight." Virgil nodded and shivered. It was colder in the cave then Logan had expected, as they walked farther in. It was also bigger. He hoped that if they needed to call for help, Patton would hear them. 

"Stupid spiderwebs-" Roman sputtered, waving his hands in his face.

"Is everything alright, Roman?" Logan turned and Roman nodded.

"Yeah, there are just cobwebs hitting me in the face whenever I walk two feet." He groaned, wiping at the air again.

"Did... did Patton ever specify what type of giant bug is in the cave?" Virgil shifted, glancing around suddenly.

"I don't believe he did, why do you ask, Virgil?" Logan turned around and Virgil bit his lip.

"I... I've heard of giant spiders before." His voice was quiet. "I'm not afraid of spiders or anything, I used to have a pet one back with the gang, but giant spiders are a different story." He trailed off as another voice spoke.

"And it seems we have another delivery." It was coming from above them, and Logan instantly looked up.

"Did you hear that?" Roman whispered, getting closer to Logan. Logan nodded.

"Above us." In unison, both Virgil and Roman looked to the ceiling where a large spider was hanging. It made a surprised noise but looked to its sides.

"Now." And suddenly, webs sprang from both sides, wrapping completely around the group of three, trapping their arms to their sides. Roman made a squealing noise, and Logan felt Virgil jump and tense next to him. And then there was something else. A feeling of exhaustion that washed over Logan, as he swooned. Roman seemed to feel it too, as he also started to sway.

"Guys?" Virgil called, but it was too late, Roman was asleep and pulling the other two down. Logan didn't have the strength to hold them up, as they started rolling deeper into the cave.

His last thought before unconsciousness took him was that he hoped Patton would be alright.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wake up!" Logan blinked awake with Virgil hissing that in his ear. He groaned, his hand reaching up to touch his head before he felt restraints.

"Virgil?"

"Yeah, you idiot! You've been asleep for ten minutes! I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up!" Virgil's voice was panicked and horse. They were no longer tied together as they had been before, now they were stuck to a web that was dangling in the air. Spiders moved under them, chattering almost excitedly, which made Logan shiver. The spiders were talking about them, he could hear it. And none of it was good. He glanced around to see a few articles of clothing stuck to the other sides of the webs, probably from other adventurers who had come down here. Roman was on his right side, still asleep. "Can you wake Roman up? I've been trying, but he was less responsive than you. I think he got the brunt of whatever those spiders did to you both."

"Roman?" Logan struggled a little, and suddenly the reality of the situation hit. The panic, the worry, the fear, and the terror. He tried in vain to move closer to the royal. "Roman, wake up."

"I don't want mashed potatoes, no..." Roman mumbled, moving his head to the side. 

"Roman!" Logan hissed, frustration and anger finally seeping into his voice, and Virgil's eyes widened. A few of the spiders looked up at him with confusion, and Logan glanced back to Virgil. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You just hissed at Roman." Virgil's voice was soft.

"Yes? And?"

"You were saying it like the spider did before." Logan paused.

"You couldn't understand the spiders?" This was perplexing. Something he hadn't taken into account.

"Of course I couldn't understand the spiders, they're spiders! They were hissing at us!" Virgil moved to gesture with his hands, but they were stuck to the web. 

"What's going on?" Roman slurred, blinking a few times, and glancing up to look at the other two.

"I believe we have been captured." Logan sighs, trying to regain some of the calm composure he had before. "How long did you say we were unconscious for?"

"At least five minutes! Probably ten! I was freaking out and going in and out, and I couldn't tell and I'm sorry, I couldn't-" Logan cut him off.

"Virgil, breathe. It's going to be fine."

"How can you say that! It might not be!"

"But it will be."

"How do you know?"

"Because I told Patton to come down to the cave if we didn't come out in ten minutes. Knowing him, he would probably come in at around nine or eight minutes, and the spiders aren't expecting another person." Logan said softly.

"What?" This did have Virgil stopping in his panic.

"The spiders think we are the only ones here. I'm hearing them talk about it below us. Can you really not understand them?" Logan looked at the other two confused.

"The spiders are talking? What?" Roman tried to stretch, but his hands were still stuck. He seemed to notice that for the first time and sighed. "Well, we're screwed, aren't we."

"Not yet..." Logan trailed off, as a familiar voice cut through the chittering of the spiders.

"Logan? Virgil? Roman? Are you guys okay, you're scaring me!" Patton called looking around as he entered the portion of the cave. He paused as he saw the three hanging on the web. "Roman! Virgil! Logan!" He took a few steps forward before he looked down and his eyes widened. "S-Spiders!" He squealed, fear taking over his face as he took steps back quickly, before letting out a pained shriek as he folded in half, clutching his head.

"Patton!" That shot Roman to attention, and he instantly started straining against the webs. They didn't give. 

"Fuck! Fuck!" Patton was whimpering. "No, not now, not now, please!" Logan and Virgil exchanged worried looks. It was obvious Patton wasn't okay, something was very wrong.

The spiders, on the other hand, all started walking towards Patton, slowly surrounding him. Patton was breathing hard and looked up to the group in the webs. Instead of the brown his eyes usually were, now they were pure yellow. Virgil gasped, leaning back into the webs. Logan instead leaned forward, the more curious part of his brain suddenly very interested in how this was going to go. 

"Leave my friends," Patton's voice started to change, as his physical form also started to change. He seemed to morph as he continued to talk, a white light engulfing him. Roman and Virgil looked away, but Logan couldn't bring himself to stop staring. It was majestic. "Alone!" The white light faded, and instead of Patton standing there like he was before, there was a large wolf with pure yellow eyes. Logan couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

"Incredible..." He whispered as the wolf-Patton stalked forward, growling at the spiders, who hissed and moved away.

"Leave my friends alone! You don't get to touch them!" He was saying, well, more like growling, as he lept at one of the larger ones, sinking his teeth into its body. It screeched in pain, rearing backward. Logan realized that both Roman and Virgil were also raptured by their friend tearing the spider in half, but they needed to act quickly.

"Virgil, can you teleport out of here?" Virgil shook his head.

"I tried, I couldn't get a good grasp on it, and if I teleported the web with me..." He trailed off.

"Alright, okay alright..." Logan glanced around before remembering something. "Roman! Can you burn the webs?" Roman scoffed.

"Can I burn the webs? Can I burn the webs, don't you think I would have tried-" He mocked before thinking about it. "Wait... can I burn the webs?" If Logan's hands weren't attached to the sticky string above them, he would have facepalmed.

"Why don't you try, Prince Noodle-brain!" Virgil spat at him, and Roman rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'll try, gods!" He closed his eyes, and his hands lit up. As they did, the webs around him melted away, and his hands were free. 

"Help myself first, then I'll fall and help Patton. Then you can burn the webs off of Virgil, and you both can help us." Roman nodded, quickly moving to burn the webbing away from Logan's arms and legs. He felt gravity take hold quicker than he imagined, but as he fell, he caught himself on a book he hadn't realized he'd created. 

As he ran over to the group of spiders, he noticed that Patton didn't really need their help. A pile was growing behind him as he ripped off a spider's leg with his claws, and bit into a different leg, throwing the spider behind him onto the hard stone of the cave floor. Logan could still hear what he was saying, but it was getting less and less coherent.

"Leave them alone! Don't touch them! I'll make you pay! I'll make you all pay!" Logan paused, as Virgil fell behind him, Roman following soon after. Three of the spiders that were still alive made the smart decision to turn around and run, but they ran right into Logan, Virgil, and Roman. 

Roman held out a hand, and a sword made out of the fire just... appeared. Logan didn't mean to stare, but the way he was holding it and the way his hair was blowing back as if there was a breeze, it was almost too much. Logan quickly turned to Virgil, who's hands were glowing with purple light. Logan held out his hands, and a large book appeared over one of the spiders. All at once, they attacked, Roman, swinging his sword at the defenseless thing, Virgil shooting lighting at the spiders, and Logan's book crashing down and squishing the last one. 

As they looked up, all the other spiders were gone, dead, and in a heap behind Patton. Patton's eyes landed on the group, and he started stalking towards them, eyes still that golden yellow. Logan didn't step back, but Roman took a step in front of Virgil and Logan, almost protectively.

"Patton?" There was just a low growl from the wolf in front of them. Roman's hand was shakey as he held it out. "Patton, it's us. Are you in there? Are you alright?" Roman took a step forward, and so did the wolf. Logan resisted the urge to grab him by the shoulder and pull Roman behind him. "Patton, are you okay? Please tell us?" Patton was right in front of him now, and Roman was shaking. He was obviously holding back tears, and Patton sniffed his hand for a few moments. There was a pause from everyone as no one wanted to do or say anything. They had just watched their friend transform into a wolf, and destroy a horde of spiders, Logan figured, they were probably entitled to some sort of shock. Roman's hand shook a little. more.

Then Patton licked up the side of his hand, quickly jumping on top of Roman, knocking him over, as if he were an excited dog. Roman squealed but started laughing as Patton licked his face. 

"Friend! Friend!" He grinned, panting before looking up at Virgil and Logan. "Friends!" He ran over, rubbing Logan's leg, before turning to Virgil and doing the same. 

"Uh... Pat? Is that you?" Patton nodded.

"It's me! It's me!" He jumped up a little, turning to Logan. "You are friends! I protect friends!" 

"Thank you, Patton." Logan couldn't help but smile as he leaned down to pet Patton's head.

"I protect friends. Friends are safe now?" He tilted his head at Logan, suddenly at attention again, looking around the room. "Where are the creepy crawly death dealers?" 

"No, you were right. We're safe now. It's okay." Virgil and Roman both looked at Logan with confusion, but Logan chose to ignore it, choosing instead to sit down next to Patton. "Do you know how to change back?"

"Dad told me mom should have told me! Mom didn't tell me! Mom's gone. Is that a butterfly?" Patton tried to explain, but it was obvious he kept getting distracted by other thoughts.

"So you don't know how to change back."

"Let me try!" Patton wagged his tail, closing his eyes tightly. He stayed like that for about two seconds before shaking his head, wagging his tail and looking back up at Logan, his paws in the other boy's lap. "Nope!"

"Ok, let's try something. I need you to breathe in for me, close your eyes, and just relax. Let go of the energy, let go of the panic, let go of the fear." He pets Patton's head as his eyes fell closed, and Patton took a deep breath. As he let it out, the glowing started again, and suddenly, instead of petting a dog, Logan was petting Patton on the head.

"Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods!" Patton quickly shot straight up, wobbling back a few steps before falling backward. Roman caught him, and Patton took in a few shaky breaths. "Oh, gods..."

"Patton, what was that?" Virgil asked, and Logan could tell he was forcing his voice to be calmer than he felt. He let the calm act waver a little bit at the end of his sentence, and was standing too still for it to be natural.

"Are you okay, padre?" Roman asked, helping Patton stand up. Patton nodded, before pausing and shaking his head.

"Seriously, Patton, Logan, what was that?!" Virgil's eyes were wide and he turned to Logan. "Why were you talking to him like he was talking back? Why did it work?"

"Wasn't he talking back?" Logan asked, confused. Patton had been talking to him. He could understand him. Didn't the others?

"No, he was barking at you. And then you pretty much barked back." Roman said cautiously as he turned to Logan, still holding Patton up.

"Same thing with the spiders. They were just hissing. And you understood them..." Virgil glanced around and Logan sighed.

"Let's... let's just go over this when we get back to the room." Logan winced, rubbing his head. The adrenaline had stopped kicking in, and the wooziness was returning. Roman seemed to notice and looked to Virgil.

"I'm going to be fine, Virgil are you feeling alright?" Virgil nodded. "Can you help Patton? I'll carry Logan."

"There's no need to-" But it was too late, Patton was now being supported by Virgil, and Roman scooped Logan up bridal style, giving him a wink, and Logan closed his eyes quickly, blushing. He resisted the urge to bury his face in Roman's shoulder, but when both Virgil and Patton made an awing noise, he gave in, knowing his glasses would be smudged, but he didn't have the energy to care. They walked out of the cave in mostly silence, Virgil supporting Patton, and Roman refusing to put Logan down.

It would be nice if a million and one thoughts weren't racing through Logan's head.


	17. The Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Strong language. Also, I hope I made this gut-wrenching, if I didn't then I'm not doing my damn job right. XDXD So be prepared for some big sad.

As the group entered the tavern, Gern took one look at them and instantly was worried.

"Are you kids okay? Was the job too hard? I'm so sorry, here, let me help you up!" He lifted Patton's other arm around his shoulders, and Virgil gave him a weak smile. Patton laughed, shaking his head. Logan's face was still buried in Roman's shoulder, and Patton thought he might be sleeping. He wasn't sure what happened when they had gone into the cave, only that he had waited the better part of ten minutes and went in anyway, but he resigned never to let those three do anything without his supervision again. 

"You should see the other guy!" Roman joked. "But nothing too bad happened, just something kind of unexpected." Patton should have seen it coming. The waves of nausea. The hunger and soreness that was more than he was used to. He should have seen it coming. But he hadn't, and he wasn't able to get away before the change before he showed them-

"Alright, let me get ya'll to your rooms." Gern glanced at Logan. "Is he okay?" Roman nodded.

"He's just a little beat is all. Tired, right Lo?" Roman ran a hand through Logan's hair and Logan nodded. So he wasn't asleep.

"Yes, apologies, Roman will not put me down." Logan leaned back, glasses foggy, and gave Roman a look. Roman stuck his tongue out.

"You are not walking anywhere, mister. We are putting you on the bed, and that is where you will stay." Logan rolled his eyes, but leaned into Roman again, hiding his face once more. 

"Well, I'm glad to hear you aren't hurt." Virgil nods, and the group found themselves at the top of the stairs. Roman looked to Logan, who sighed, taking a key out of his pocket and reaching over to unlock one of the doors. Roman marched inside, setting Logan on the bed. Virgil and Gern helped Patton to sit down as well, and Gern glanced at the four. "If you need anything, anything at all, let me know." Roman nodded.

"Of course. And thank you for all your help." Gern pauses as if he wants to say something else, but he shakes his head, quickly leaving the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as the door clicks shut, Virgil and Roman quickly zero in on Logan and Patton.

"What was that?" Roman was the first to talk, obviously a little overwhelmed, and Virgil winced. 

"Which moment are you referring to?" Logan asked, shifting so he was sitting up on the bed.

"All of it?" Roman looked to Virgil who nodded. "Yeah, let's go with all of it." He sat down in the chair they had moved the day before. Virgil looked around, fully deer in headlights, before Roman sighed and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him to sit on the chair as well.

"You were a wolf," Virgil said as blatantly as he could. "And Logan could understand you."

Patton vaguely remembered that. Everything had gone fuzzy, and then colors weren't as bright. He was shorter, and was on all fours, and felt furry, but it wasn't as unnerving as he had been expecting. It was actually kind of comforting. He let instinct kick in, and he destroyed those who had hurt his friends however he could. There was still that little bit of protective rage in him at the thought of his friends stuck in that web. A mix of that, the fear of the spiders around him, and the sudden exertion of energy had probably caused the shift.

"I suppose we should start with me." Logan cut it, noticing Patton deep in thought. "The... the wolf situation might take longer to deconstruct."

"Alright then." Roman turned to Logan. "Explain." Logan took in a deep breath.

"I'm not sure where to start." He glanced around. "I wasn't able to do anything like that before." He put his hands on his knees, looking back up.

"Maybe it has something to do with the magic?" Patton interjected, trying to be as helpful as he could.

"That is a probable theory, Patton. I wonder if it works on all animals or just spiders?" Patton winced and shivered.

"And wolves." Virgil pointed out.

"Yes. Spiders and wolves." Logan agreed. "But I suppose it shouldn't be that monumental in our daily life." Logan didn't mean to glance at Patton, he really didn't. But it seemed as if in that one statement, it was everyone's cue to look over at him. Patton rubbed the back of his neck.

"I should... I should probably explain, shouldn't I." His voice was soft.

"Only if you are comfortable with us knowing." Logan put a hand on Patton's shoulder, and it was nice. Grounding. It felt like it had before when he was a wolf in the cave. Calming and soft and just... nice.

"Bull shit." Roman folded his arms. "You're gonna tell us what's going on."

"Roman." Virgil's voice was careful. "If he doesn't want to tell us-"

"This doesn't just affect Patton, it affects all of us!" Roman huffed. "We shouldn't keep secrets!"

"I think all of us have a right to some sort of privacy," Logan said calmly. "I wouldn't say I've lied to you all, but I certainly haven't told you everything about me. And I expect the same from you all." Patton paused. Was everyone keeping secrets?

"Well, I've been perfectly honest." Roman sighed, folding his arms and deflating. "And if there's something that will make it harder for us to do our job, like someone turning into a wolf," Roman was looking pointedly at Patton. "Then you should tell us!"

"I do have to agree on that account." Logan's eyes darted to Virgil, who was looking uncomfortable at the turn the conversation had taken. But he didn't say anything, turning back to Patton. "Is this something that will affect everyone in the group?" Patton winced.

"It doesn't really matter, I'd tell you either way." He paused. "But probably. If... if it happens again, and I can't control myself, or if I hurt you if I do something wrong like mom," Patton was rambling, but he couldn't stop himself. His eyes were trained on his lap, so he didn't see the worry that started to come forward in Roman's eyes, or Virgil's guarded expression drop a little. He barely felt it when Logan squeezed his shoulder. "I don't want to be like mom. Dad told me that I couldn't be like mom. But what-"

"Patton." Logan's voice was brought him back to the moment, and Patton jumped a little, turning to look at him. "It's alright. Breathe please." Patton nodded, realizing he had been holding his breath. He offered a weak smile.

"Sorry. How much of that made sense."

"Like, none." Roman leaned back, but he looked worried.

"I'm fine, sorry, I just... I don't really..." Patton swallowed. "I've never really talked about this with anyone but myself before. Dad didn't like talking about it. Not after we moved and..." He paused again. "I should start from the beginning."

"That would be helpful." Logan's hand squeezed again, this time almost asking for permission as if asking if it were okay to keep contact. Patton leaned into his hand gently, moving a little closer. 

"My mom used to tell me a story when I was young. A long, long time ago, there was a very powerful wizard. He was very secluded from the town next to him, but he had a daughter." Patton started, and the familiar words washed over him. He relaxed as he heard his mother's voice in his ear as he spoke. He felt her touch on his forehead.

"This daughter was secluded from the whole world." She would say as if telling him an exciting secret. "All she knew about romance and love was from books. So when she went to the village for the first time to get some ingredients for her father, and saw a handsome man, she became enamored with him." Little Patton would giggle. "Is something funny?" She smiled at him, leaning down. Patton shook his head quickly.

"Tell the story, tell the story!" He clapped his hands together, and his mom laughed her enchanting laugh, brushing a strand of his hair out of his face.

"Of course, my little Patton Cake."

"Patton?" Logan's voice gently brought him out of his trance. "You paused."

"Right, right, sorry." He laughed, brushing his own hair out of his face, ghosting over where she used to. "So anyway, the daughter was obsessed with this guy she saw in town, so she went to talk to him. He was polite enough, kind to her, but he had a wife and children at home already." He heard his own little gasp in the back of his mind. No matter how many times she told him the story, he would always gasp.

"But this girl was convinced he was her one true love." His mother placed her hands on her chest.

"Like you and daddy!" Patton chimed in.

"Exactly like me and daddy." She sat up grinning. "So she followed him around. He wasn't exactly thrilled-"

"But he was too polite to ask her to leave him alone." Patton continued. "After a few months of this, though, she got restless. She cornered him in a tavern and kissed him, not letting him go until he had to force her off of him. He told her to leave him alone." Patton bit his lip, glancing to look at the group. They didn't seem to have any reaction so far, and he felt a little better. They were letting him have this. And he did need to have this.

"A lesson to you, Patton Cake. Be careful with people. Don't let someone make you do something you're uncomfortable with and don't ever force yourself on someone who doesn't think that way of you." Patton had nodded emphatically. "She was angry, of course. She thought he had been leading her on, he hadn't." His mother's voice always got stern at this point. Always a little colder.

"He hadn't." Patton echoed her words. "He was just trying to help her as best he could. But she got really, really mad. She went to her father crying and made up a story about the man from the village, saying he had lead her on, even going so far as to kiss her himself, which was blatantly a lie, and then she told him that he left and refused to talk to her." He caught himself getting worked up, and took a deep breath. "And her father believed him."

"Why?" Little Patton had sat up.

"Because sometimes, people hear things that aren't true, and believe them." His mother explained, kissing his forehead, pushing him back down in his bed slightly so he was back to laying down. "Her father was so angry that he made her a potion. He told her to get him to drink all of it. Every last drop."

"She invited him for drinks. She told him that she wouldn't try anything, that she had gotten the wrong idea, and that she wanted to apologize. He believed her." Logan's hand on his shoulder squeezed again softly, almost as if he hadn't meant it to. Patton felt tears welling, though he wasn't sure why. He pushed the feeling of sadness away, focusing on the reality of their situation. He wouldn't think of his mom anymore.

"She poured the potion into his drink, but he only drank half of it before his wife came into the tavern, telling him he had to get home quickly. One of his kids had gotten stuck on the roof, and he needed to get them down. The wizard's daughter tried to get him to drink the rest of it, but he refused, quickly going to help his family." Patton tried to keep himself from falling back into his memories, but he could still hear his mother's voice under his own. It was oddly comforting, even though he knew it shouldn't have been. Patton paused and the others leaned in.

"Is that it?" Roman asked, disappointment apparent in his face. He was obviously invested, which made Patton smile.

"No." Patton giggled. "Not at all. They continued with life normally for a while, but only until the end of the month."

"After night fell on the last day of the month, they all felt something strange. A pull. And even though they fought against it, they weren't strong enough." Patton's mother's voice was colder now. Teaching. He hadn't understood that then. He did now.

"They changed. All of them. Every member of his family changed into a wolf. The family took to the woods because if someone found them, they knew they would be killed. They changed back the next day." Patton bit his lip, hoping the group would jump to the correct conclusion.

"So... so they're werewolves..." Virgil was starring at Patton.

"Yeah." Patton fidgeted. "And they had kids, and their kids had kids, and... well..." Patton laughed awkwardly.

"Not with each other I would hope." Roman made a noise.

"No, it was all with other people. But it didn't seem to help. The kids all turned out to be... uh... wolves as well."

"And that's what you are. A descendant." Of course, Logan was the first one to say it, but as soon as he said those words, Patton relaxed.

"Yeah." Patton paused. "There are two types, I guess. There's the pack. They spend more time looking like a wolf and running around wild and free." He shivered. "But they tend to be relentless. And don't take kindly to people who aren't wolves as well. Then there are the other people, the ones who suppress." Patton winced. "It hurts. That what my mom used to tell me. That it hurts really bad to suppress. And at the end of the month, it doesn't matter what happens, you change. You turn. And you're worse than before, relentless and bloodthirsty and..." Patton curled in on himself a little.

"And your mom was a pack member?" Roman asked, confused.

"No. She suppressed. She... uh... she got really good at it. But the last night of the month always turned into something else. I would be sent to my room, and told never, under any circumstances, to open the basement door." Patton bit his lip. 

"Your father... locked her in the basement," Logan asked, his voice didn't hold judgment, just concern.

"She told him too. It was the safest way. The one time we didn't-" He stopped himself. He had said too much, and they would hate him. There was a silence that fell before-

"Patton, what happened when you didn't?" Logan asked calmly.

"She... killed someone." Patton's voice was small. "She wasn't in control, and he tried to hurt her, so she... she killed him. She woke up the next day in jail, and they sentenced her to death." Patton tried to smile.

"It's okay, Patton Cake. I just need you to leave with daddy, can you do that for me? You're gonna have to be really really quiet." His mom wiped his tears. "Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah. I can." His mom let out a puff of air, almost a laugh, and leaned down to kiss him.

"I love you, Patton. I love you so much. Go with your dad. Stay with him. Do as he tells you. Be safe please, my little wolf." His mom was the only one who had ever called him that. He nodded, clutching his mom's hand, but she shook him off as something clanged. She shot his father a look, and his dad scooped Patton up, hiding him in his father's robes.

"Patton..." Roman put a hand on Patton's knee. "Are you alright?"

"It happened a long time ago." Patton laughed a little. "But the people knew it was a genetics thing, so they looked for me too." Roman took in a sharp breath, and Patton swallowed. "Dad hid me, taking me to another smaller village near the one I grew up in. I promised not to go outside. Dad told me it would be safer. Just in case. We stayed for two years before someone saw me. They somehow knew about us and ran me and my dad out of town. So Dad took me to the kingdom. We were careful after that. I haven't left the house for most of my life. Just in case." Logan adjusted his glasses carefully.

"Have... have you turned before? Like that?" Patton shook his head.

"I was feeling weird before. I guess that was what it was. I'm sorry." He rushed out quickly.

"For?" Logan asked, tilting his head.

"Keeping it from you, not telling you, freaking you all out, I'm just sorry!" Patton winced, tilting his head away from the group.

"Pat, there's nothing to be sorry for," Virgil spoke for the first time. "You didn't have any reason to tell us, you didn't think anything was going to happen, and you were scared." He leaned back, folding his arms.

"Thank you for letting us know now." Logan's voice was calming and Patton sighed.

"It shouldn't happen too many more times. Until the end of the month, I guess, but still." He looked up to see them looking at him with horror.

"You just told us it's painful. And you lose control." Roman folded his arms. "You are not suppressing it, that's horrible!" Patton flinched.

"If I don't... if I don't they'd kill me." Patton's voice was small and Roman stood up, almost throwing Virgil off of him.

"We wouldn't let them." His pose was almost silly, but his voice was deadly serious.

"Seriously, we wouldn't" Virgil agreed, not meaning for his hands to glow with the lightning energy. It did add to his point. Logan nodded with the others and turned back to Patton with a smile. Patton felt all warm and safe but didn't want to focus on that. He needed some time before he could truly believe their words.

"What did I say?" Everything was fuzzy. He remembered feeling something warm and cozy wash over him and rubbing against a few people, but he couldn't remember what he had said.

"You just called us friends a lot, and said you were protecting us," Logan explained. Roman rolled his eyes, but Virgil punched him softly.

"He did protect us, dumbass," Virgil mumbled. Roman rubbed his side, rolling his eyes again.

"Your punches need a little more work." Roman stuck his tongue out.

"Would you prefer me to make them a little more electric?" Virgil raised an eyebrow, and Logan held up a hand.

"No infighting, please." He paused before making some sort of decision. "Someone should go and pick up the rest of the money."

"You and Patton are not going anywhere." Roman folded his arms. Logan sighed.

"I am perfectly fine, Roman."

"You nearly fainted. You are eating and going to bed." Logan opened his mouth to say something else, but Roman folded his arms, raising his eyebrows, and Logan closed his mouth again.

"I can get the money if Roman doesn't mind getting the food." Roman puffed out his chest.

"Sounds like the best plan ever!" Roman marched out of the door before poking his head back in. "Raymond, right?" Patton nodded. There was a small part of him that thought if he said something, this whole thing would fall apart. "We'll be right back." Roman exited as dramatically as he could, and Logan cracked a smile.

"Don't do anything crazy, okay?" Patton nodded. As the door closed behind Virgil, Patton thought back to the last thing he had heard his mom say to him.

"Please be safe, my little wolf."

With his new group of friends, he hoped she would be proud


	18. The Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Violence, language, and more magic werewolves. A little spicier (not by a ton, just a few kisses, and nicknames) in the end, so be warned.

They stayed in the town for another day, Logan telling Patton to take it easier than he probably would have otherwise. Even though Patton had complained that they needed to get back on track, he had complied with the bedrest Logan had practically forced on him. Patton had been sore for most of the day, and Roman got an idea.

"Knock knock!" Roman said, but the door was open. Virgil looked up from the chair where he was sitting, and Patton was laying on his stomach on the bed, his glasses on the table next to him.

"What's up, princey?" Virgil tilted his head, a little confused.

"Well, I was hoping to get a little alone time with the both of you, but Logan wanted to talk to you, Virgil." Virgil's eyes lit up, and for a moment, Roman was a little jealous. But he couldn't tell if he was jealous of Virgil for getting time to hang out with Logan, his boyfriend, Roman thought with a thrill, or if he was jealous of Logan making Virgil have that reaction. 

"Awesome." Virgil glanced between the two of them. "You... don't do anything crazy, alright?" He left the room before Roman could ask what that meant. He shrugged it off, turning to Patton.

"Hey!" Patton blinked a few times. "Sorry, I took off my glasses a little while ago, easier to lay this way. I can put them back on if you want-" Roman shook his head.

"No need, Padre!" In all honesty, Roman had been staring, but he was staring for a different reason than Patton probably thought. Patton's hair was a little mussed and his eyes were a little foggy, but all in all, he looked adorable. Eat-up-with-a-spoon adorable. Kiss-Me-Now adorable. Fuck, he had a boyfriend! Was thinking these things cheating? He'd have to tell Logan about this.

Later. After he asked Patton about his idea.

"Hey, Pat?"

"What's up, kiddo?" Patton tilted his head again.

"Could I... you were complaining about being sore this morning at breakfast, I was just wondering if you wanted a massage?" Patton giggled.

"Wow! I don't think... I mean when I was younger I would give my dad a massage, but I can't remember the last time I got one! I guess we'll have to _pressure_ luck!" Patton spoke without thinking before bursting into giggles, putting his face back into the pillows. Roman grinned.

"Is that a yes, oh punny one?" 

"A massage sounds _pun_ fect." Roman laughed at the absurdity of the word. "That one doesn't work so well, does it?"

"Nope!" Roman sat down on the bed next to Patton. He had taken off his cloak, leaving it hanging on one of the posters of the bed. Roman reached out to touch Patton's shoulders, pressing a little bit. Patton let out a content sigh, and Roman grinned. 

"Thank you for this," Patton said softly. Roman almost missed it.

"Of course, Pat! You're one of my best friends!" Patton paused.

"Really?" And while there was some sense of gratitude for the compliment, Roman also caught the concern and skepticism in his voice.

"Yeah! You, Logan, and Virgil. My best friends!" Patton bit his lip.

"Yeah, but Roman, don't you have other royal friends? We've known each other for what, seven days?" Roman shrugged.

"Other royals were either there because they had business to do with my father, which meant that I didn't get to talk to them much, or because there was some special event. People generally don't just pop in for a visit." Roman's hands worked slowly, and he could feel Patton relaxing beneath him.

"That's... that must be lonely." Roman's first instinct was to deny, deny, deny. But he paused.

"Yeah. It kind of was. But hey, at least I had siblings!" He shrugged. "You were all alone for more than I have been, with basically no visitors, no servants, and no siblings. I can't imagine how you did it."

"Stories mostly," Patton said, grinning. "I used to tell myself stories when I was younger. My mom was a writer or wanted to be, anyway. She gave me a few notebooks. I've been filling them up pretty quickly." Patton's hand tensed and relaxed a little as if resisting the urge to grab the bag that was dropped next to the bed. "I write a lot of poetry."

"Really? Anything about me?" Roman raised an eyebrow, and Patton laughed.

"I mean, sort of?" His voice was higher pitched, and Roman saw he was blushing. Roman had been joking before, but now he was invested. 

"What do you mean sort of?" Patton put his face farther into the pillows.

"I... I kinda wrote something about everyone." Now Patton sat up, and Roman pulled back, hoping he hadn't hurt him, but Patton was reaching inside his bag and pulling out a notebook. He picked up his glasses so he could read the words written on the page

"A royal with a crown of thorns  
Ego as his chosen shield   
He continues to fight by my side  
With the sword he wields  
He keeps my friends  
Annoyed in jest  
And yet there's something I see  
A golden heart's inside his chest  
That I feel is just for me." Patton read out loud, closing his eyes. Roman's eyes widened.

"Patton, that was glorious!" Roman laughed, shifting on the bed. "Read one about the others, read one about the others!" Patton shook his head.

"I'll check with them first. Don't want to make them uncomfortable!" Patton shrugged and Roman rolled his eyes, though he agreed with Patton.

"Alright, fine. Now lay back down, I want to finish your massage!" Patton laughed but complied.

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They packed up and started their journey again early the next morning. Even though Patton had told them that they should have moved earlier, he looked refreshed and healthy, or at least, better than yesterday. The shock had probably worn off some for all of them, so Roman felt a little more comfortable in general.

"You promise you'll be safe?" Gern asked for the third time. Logan nodded as Roman rolled his eyes.

"We promise. And on the way back, we also promise to stop by and check-in." Gern grinned.

"You better." He paused for a moment before holding up his hands. "Wait here for a sec, okay?" The group looked at each other, nodding. Gern disappeared in the back before bringing out four colorful waterskins. "I thought ya'll might want to use more color coordination." He joked, nodding to the fairly color-coordinated outfits.

"Oh!" Roman stepped forward, taking the one that was colored red with gold swirls. "These are beautiful!"

"My wife makes them." Gern laughed. "She told me to give them to you. Here." He passed a light blue one with flowers on it to Patton, one that was mainly dark blue with a few yellow accents on the lid to Logan, and a purple waterskin with black dots as if they were stars to Virgil.

"You've already given us too much-" Logan tried to hand his back, but Gern held up a hand.

"If you don't take it, I will follow you and sneak it into your bags while you sleep." Gern's tone was gentle but serious, and Roman laughed.

"Come on, Logan. If he wanted to kill us he had plenty of time to do so beforehand." Logan sputtered. 

"I don't think-" He turned to Gern who was grinning. "I don't I swear-"

"I don't think you do, hon. Now get on the road before you lose too much good daylight." And that was how the group found themselves on the streets of the town, Roman laughing, Patton barely able to hold in his own giggles, Virgil looking amused, and Logan flushed red.

Roman had made Logan blush. Mission success.

"He has a point!" Patton nodded to the sun. "We should get going!"

"Lead the way." Virgil gestured for Logan to start walking. Logan swallowed, nodding as he started on the road out of the town.

The group hadn't spent too much time exploring, staying mainly in the tavern the day before, though Virgil had gone for a walk after a little bit of time. Roman had wanted to follow, but Logan had pointed out that that might be a bad idea. If someone were to realize he was the prince... well, there was a good chance they would be sent back home. A few people glanced at them and seemed to recognize them, and for a moment, Roman panicked, before Logan saw and smiled.

"They are most likely looking at us because we did a job for Raymond for a large sum of money, and gossip spreads quickly." Roman's eyes widened before relaxing. It did make sense. He gave Logan a grateful look, and Logan just smiled.

As they were getting to the edge of town, they noticed a group of people standing next to a building. They looked at the group before whispering to each other in a language that Roman didn't understand. Logan was watching them carefully as well, and while they had wanted to linger a little longer, they were quickly herded outside of town. No one really paid it any attention after that, Logan waving it off and telling the group not to worry.

They didn't notice the men giving each other a nod, and following from a distance.

The group paused after walking for a bit, looking back and taking a moment before the town fully disappeared from view. Patton bit his lip.

"Is anyone else sad?" He turned to the group.

"I suppose I am not exactly thrilled to be leaving," Logan observed.

"Every day I wake up, I'm sad," Virgil mumbled, and everyone looked at him. He seemed to realize what he said. "Oh, shit, sorry, I didn't mean it like that I meant, every day we're getting closer to our goal of fighting a really powerful witch, and I'm just... nervous." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Sorry."

"First off, language, second off, no need to be sorry!" Patton patted Virgil on the back.

"It is a perfectly acceptable emotion, to be nervous. Thank you for explaining yourself." Logan smiled gently at Virgil, and he seemed to relax.

"Yeah, for a moment there, I thought I should be worried, Emo Lightning." Roman grinned and Virgil rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah. The moment's over. Let's move." Virgil took a few more steps towards Logan, and they started moving again. Roman glanced back to see Patton just looking at the town as it disappeared into the distance. He could have sworn he saw tears in the other boy's eyes. 

"Alright, I'll go first!" Roman announced, linking his arm with Patton's. "M-A-G-I-C."

And that was how they spent most of the day.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Setting up camp that night was easy. They had gotten into a rhythm that they each knew almost by heart. Virgil and Logan were in charge of the tent, Roman would go to get wood for a fire, and Patton would take care of the food. They quickly sat around the fire and ate, the silence more comfortable than anything else. Roman paused, glancing at the rest of his companions as he finished eating.

"We've heard a lot about Patton's family, and you guys know a lot about my family, what are your families like?" He tilted his head at Logan and Virgil, the latter of which froze. "I mean, if you really don't want to talk about it, I get it, but I'd kinda like to know?" And he was genuinely curious.

"Well, I don't mind speaking about my family." Logan shrugged. "My fathers adopted me when I was very young and raised me from there. A few years ago, my dad accepted a job to go adventuring. The money was supposed to be enough so that he could move my father to a home they had been looking at for years but was always too expensive. He hasn't come back since, but we still receive letters and gifts from him." Logan looked at Roman. "Is that adequate?"

"More than!" Roman looked a little surprised, and he reached out and touched Logan's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear about your dad."

"Please do not be. He sends letters so we know he's alright, and he sends us gifts sometimes." Logan's hand went to his ascot. "So there really is no need to apologize."

"Is your dad nice? The one that you live with, I mean?" Patton tilted his head.

"He is. He tends to obsess over things fairly quickly and lose hope just as fast. I think I would be the only one who actually thinks my father is going to come back." Logan sighed. "He promised me he would. And he has never broken a promise."

"That's nice." Virgil bit his lip, smiling. 

"It is. I just wish we had a way to communicate with him."

"What do you mean?" Roman asked.

"He continues to move in various directions, so we never really get a specific address to send letters to." Logan shifted and Roman noticed.

"What about you, Virgil?" Roman changed the subject, and Logan relaxed a little.

"I mean... I didn't really know my parents?" Virgil rubbed his neck. "There was a fire when I was a kid. I haven't seen them since." There was silence for a few moments before Patton hugged Virgil.

"That's awful! I'm so sorry, Virgil!"

"It's really fine. Jan-" He stopped himself. "Deceit found me after a few days and took me in, and I guess they kind of became my family?" He shrugged.

"That's adorable." Roman smiled at him, and Virgil blushed.

"Uh... yeah. I guess." He pulled his jacket tighter around him. 

"It's getting late." Logan pointed out. "We should start getting ready to sleep." Roman groaned.

"Ugh, those beds were so nice. Couldn't we have just taken them with us?" Roman pouted at Logan who rolled his eyes.

"That would have been stealing since we spent a large portion of our money on food. And, while you can carry bags with bedrolls in them, I sincerely doubt you could carry two large mattresses with us while we travel." Logan adjusted his glasses, giving Roman a look. Roman sighed.

"I guess..." He trailed off before a rustling noise caught his attention. Everyone else seemed to notice it too, pausing and glancing over at where the noise came from, a cluster of bushes. There were a few moments of silence and the group started to relax when an arrow whizzed right by Roman's head. He yelped in surprise, jumping, back, and the group jumped into action.

Patton's eyes flashed yellow, but he quickly blinked it away, holding up his hands that were glowing. A few people, armed guards, and mercenaries, quickly got up from the bushes, holding swords and weapons. Patton squealed in fear, before closing his eyes quickly and turning into a wolf. Roman once again found him staring, it was still so new and interesting, but Patton was already growling at the people carrying swords.

Logan had created a book barrier in front of Roman which disappeared after an arrow bounced off of it. He had on the same expression that he had when the gang had tried to kidnap them. Pissed. Roman shivered a little, before watching Logan push a man into another man with a book, trapping them together with barely any space in between.

Virgil's eyes were glowing, and so were his hands. The wind picked up around him as his purple glowing hands shot lightning at a few of the mercenaries. One fell back, their sword clanging to the side. For a second, Roman was terrified. He wasn't nearly as powerful as any of the three around him, he hadn't used his powers as he had seen Logan doing, Patton had some sort of genetic ability that made him better at fighting, and Virgil was just magnificent. But as a man ran up to him, swinging his sword, Roman's hand went up and his own sword made of flame manifested. They met with a sharp clang, and Roman grinned. 

Maybe he could do this.

He swung the sword around in a way that twisted the other person's wrist, causing them to cry out and fall back, their sword clanging to the side. Roman turned to see an arrow coming straight for him, but a book materialized and caught it before it hit him. Roman glanced over to Logan, who was now looking worried. Patton bit one of the mercenary's legs and they cried out in pain, and then yelled something in another language as he kicked him off. As Virgil shot lightning at them, the group retreated, leaving the four of them in the clearing alone. 

They were all breathing hard, and the book holding the arrow dissipated, letting it drop. Patton barked something, turning to Logan.

"What did he say?" Virgil asked, his eyes returning to the brown they had been before.

"He said that he thought they smelled like travelers." Logan translated. He barked a few times before translating into common. "Patton, can you turn back?" Patton shook his head quickly, barking something before going off into the trees. "He said he wants to do a perimeter check, just to make sure they aren't waiting for us to fall asleep." Logan turned to Roman. "Are you alright?"

"...No?" Roman's voice was shaky, and he nearly fell over. "That... I... what was that? And why were they shooting at me?" Logan took Roman by the arm and moving him to the tent. Roman barely registered that he was walking before they were inside and he was sitting down on the sleeping bag.

"Are you going to be alright?" Logan asked softly, brushing some stray hair out of his face. Roman glanced back to the opening of the tent. Logan had closed it behind them, and Virgil hadn't seemed to follow. He hoped that he didn't make him feel awkward.

"I... I think so... it's just been... a lot." Logan nodded, smiling sympathetically.

"I know." Logan hesitantly leaned in, and Roman quickly matched him, kissing him softly. Logan pulled away after a few moments, but they leaned their foreheads against each other.

"We're going to be alright. We'll figure out what happened here in the morning. For now, you need some sleep." Roman tried to get up. 

"I can take first watch-"

"Roman." Logan's tone was gentle as he pushed him back into his sleeping bag. "You need some sleep. You made me rest before, but you were hit harder than any of us in both of the fights we've gotten into this week. Please rest." Roman whined.

"Logan I don't-"

"You will get some sleep, Roman, or I swear to the gods, I will make you rest." Logan's tone changed from maternal to something much more strict. Roman blinked a few times.

"Yes, sir." He breathed out with a small smile on his lips. Logan seemed to notice, smirking a little before kissing him again softly.

"We'll talk more tomorrow." He said, before getting up and unzipping the tent. "Rest, Roman."

Maybe it was Logan's order or the fact that Roman was completely exhausted, but he got to sleep quickly that night.


	19. The Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of someone not taking care of themselves, allusions to hickeys or bruises, fighting, hurting books, slicing things, and attacking inanimate objects.

Virgil blinked awake, surprisingly more comfortable than when he fell asleep. He reached up to feel a rolled-up sleeping bag under his head, and a cape tucked around him. He sighed, looking over to see Logan watching him. Logan quickly turned away when he noticed Virgil was awake, putting himself together quickly.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake." Logan's voice was tense, and he glanced down at Virgil again. Virgil yawned, sitting up.

"Did... did you sleep at all?" He asked, still drowsy. Logan paused before looking at his hands.

"We should wake up the other soon so we can talk." Virgil nodded, rubbing his head. After the attack the night before, everything was a little fuzzy. 

He remembered Logan asking him to stay there while he took Roman to the tent, and he remembered Logan coming back and them both waiting for Patton. When Patton came back, he filled them in on what he had found, the mercenaries had left far too quickly for him to track, but there was no one around their camp waiting. Then he entered the tent and fell asleep curled next to Roman. Logan had asked Virgil to stay on watch with him, and Virgil had agreed, but the exertion of energy from the fight had made him pass out quickly.

Logan had already stood up, going over to the tent and opening it. Virgil got up as well, but he didn't know what to do. The fire had long gone out, and they hadn't really gotten anything they needed to take down the night before, so he just stood awkwardly as a tired-looking Patton and a frazzled Roman walked out of the tent, followed by Logan who was stiffer then Virgil had ever seen him. Even when they had fought the spiders, there was some ease to the whole thing. Now Logan just looked... well tired. Tired and tense.

"We should talk," Logan said simply, looking to the others for confirmation. Patton shifted.

"Could we... could we start walking first? If we sit down to talk, I'm not going to get back up." Patton stretched and winced. Roman didn't say anything, going to pick up his and Logan's bag, which he had taken to carrying.

They walked in silence for a few moments before Patton finally spoke up.

"Logan?" He touched Logan's shoulder, and Logan nodded.

"I would implore you three to bear with me as I try to work through this," Logan said softly, closing his eyes. The other three nodded, looking at each other before looking back to Logan. "We did not appear to be doing anything to draw someone's attention to us, correct?" He looked to the others.

"I don't think so!" Patton shrugged. Virgil blinked a few times before looking back up at Logan.

"Do you think... maybe it's because we took the job with Raymond and got the money?" It was an admittedly more optimistic look on what had happened, which wasn't usually Virgil's forte, but at this point, all Virgil wanted to do was comfort, Logan. And, thank the gods, Logan did seem to relax.

"That is a... a viable theory." Patton gave Virgil a grin and Virgil smiled back.

"Well, that doesn't explain why they were shooting at me specifically!" Roman cut in, and Virgil shot daggers at him with his eyes. Roman made a small O with his mouth before shaking his head. "Actually... I must be remembering it wrong, they were shooting at you guys too, so forget I brought it up." Logan glanced back to the three of them, smiling weakly.

"Thank you." His voice was so quiet that Virgil almost thought he had misheard him.

"For what, Lo?" Patton stopped, gently grabbing Logan's hand. Logan stopped as well, not making eye contact.

"For... for helping me." He paused and Patton nodded. "It's... I don't do well with uncertainties or things I don't understand or feel there is no easy way for me to understand." He took a deep breath, but Roman held up a hand.

"There are always going to be things that we struggle with, calculator watch. We're human-" He glanced at Patton for a moment and Patton giggled. "Maybe not human... we're mortal." He amended, smiling. "So not doing well with things is a normal part of life." Logan smiled at Roman, finally looking at something besides the road.

"Hey, I don't mean to bring down the mood-" Virgil stopped himself. "Sorry, it's probably stupid, never mind."

"Virgil?" Logan glanced over to him, and Virgil shrunk away from his gaze. There was something caring in his eyes that made Virgil feel all melty inside.

"Just... what if it happens again?" Virgil glanced at Logan who looked thoughtful.

"I suppose..." Logan said slowly. "We should try to practice using our abilities." Patton's face lit up.

"That sounds amazing!" He clapped, jumping up and down and letting go of Logan's hand.

"We should do that tomorrow." Virgil cut in, remembering how Logan had avoided answering his question about sleep. 

"Aww, fine," Roman grumbled, folding his arms, but Virgil gave him another look, and Roman seemed to understand. 

"We should continue on our way." Logan looked at the ground for a moment before Patton rubbed his back.

"Yeah! Let's go! Maybe tomorrow when we stop, we can see exactly what we can do!" As they continued walking, Virgil felt Logan's eyes on him. When he glanced over, Logan was smiling.

"Alright, let's play! T-O-M-O-R-O-W" Roman spelled loudly.

"Roman, it's T-O-M-O-R-R-O-W." Logan corrected, and Virgil laughed softly to himself.

Logan didn't pull out his book that day, playing the game with his full attention.

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The day went by faster than Virgil expected it too. They set up camp quickly that night, and Virgil convinced Logan to take the second watch. He caught both Roman and Patton before they decided who would join Virgil, taking them both a distance away from the tent Logan was getting set up in.

"I'm getting a little worried about Logan," Virgil confesses, glancing back to the tent to make sure he wasn't coming out.

"I'm sure everything's fine..." But Roman looked worried too, obviously trying to save face.

"What made you worried, kiddo?" Patton asked, tilting his head.

"He just... he doesn't eat a lot, but I just thought that maybe he just didn't like to eat, or got full really easily. But he also tends to draw out the watches when we're together at night, and last night he stayed up the whole time." Virgil said quickly, and Patton nodded.

"I noticed that too..." He trailed off, glancing back to the tent.

"What should we do?" Roman asked, one hand going to his hair and brushing it out of his eyes. Virgil noticed that it did look a little longer than the first time he met Roman.

"I... I don't know." Virgil admitted, shuffling.

"What about," Patton offered, "We keep an extra eye on him. Make sure he is eating and sleeping. And he can take the second watch so he doesn't draw it out so much." Patton smiled and Virgil nodded.

"Alright."

"Agreed! Now," Roman smiles a little. "I can take the second watch? If you guys don't mind?" Virgil looked at Roman.

"Why?" Roman shifted, blushing a little.

"I just... I didn't get to hang out with him too much yesterday, so I think it's my turn to take a watch with him!" Roman folded his arms. "Is that so wrong?"

"No." Virgil grinned. "I just think there's another reason." Roman genuinely blushed this time, his eyes widening.

"What! Uh- I- Shut up, Emo Nightmare!" Roman quickly stomped away, leaving Virgil and Patton standing there giggling.

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The next morning came and Virgil woke up to Logan gently shaking him awake. For a moment, Virgil wondered if something had happened before he registered what Logan was saying.

"Virgil, it's time to get up." Virgil groaned, waving Logan's hand away.

"Ten more hours..." He slurred, putting his face into the sleeping bag. He had gotten used to sleeping this way, his bed at home wasn't much more comfortable, so it wasn't too hard. 

"Virgil. Come on. Patton made breakfast already, he wanted to let you sleep more."

"That was nice of him," Virgil mumbled into the bag.

"Well, I think it was half the fact that you were tired yesterday, and a half that you nearly hit him when he tried to wake you up." Logan laughed softly, and Virgil shot up.

"Oh my gods, I did? I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"He knew you didn't mean to, Virgil." Logan's tone was light. He was defiantly feeling better than before. "He seemed to find the whole exchange fairly humorous. He said you mumbled something about someone named Janus, and then something about Darius." Virgil put a hand to his head.

"Remind me never to go to sleep again." He grumbled, getting up. He didn't realize his tattoo was visible until Logan glanced at his collarbone and then back up to his face. Virgil winced, quickly grabbing his jacket and putting it on, relieved that it covered anything he needed it too.

"Would you-"

"Time for breakfast!" Virgil interrupted, quickly leaving the tent. He really hoped Logan hadn't taken offense to him cutting in, but he really, really didn't want to talk about the tattoo. Not yet, anyway. He supposed he was lucky that Logan and Roman had gotten into a fight right after Nessie had taken his first cloak away and showed the tattoo to his new friends because it meant he had dodged more than a few questions he didn't want to answer.

"Hey, Kiddo!" Patton grinned. "I made breakfast!" He held out a plate of eggs that Virgil gratefully accepted. Logan exited the tent, glancing at Virgil for a moment before sitting down next to the group. "And for Logan," Patton held out a plate.

"It's alright, I-"

"Logan, I made you breakfast." Patton gave him a look, and Logan gave an awkward smile, taking the plate.

"Thank you, Patton." 

"So, we're going to find a place to practice our abilities today?" Roman asked, smiling at the other three. He already had his plate which was half empty. Virgil caught something out of the corner of his eye, a light bruise where Roman's neck met his shoulder. But then Roman pulled his shirt up a little more and it was gone.

"That was the plan." Logan nodded, looking back to Patton and Virgil.

"Yeah, I barely know what I can do! Besides the whole wolf thing." Patton winced. "Sorry."

"For what?" Logan tilted his head at Patton who blushed a little, sitting down next to them. 

"I... I guess I just... Dad didn't like me talking about it." Patton shrugged. "So unless I thought something was going to happen... we didn't really talk about anything that had to do with mom or the curse." Patton took a bite of his eggs.

"Well, I for one find all of it quite fascinating." Logan smiled. "I think that the number of things we still don't know about lycanthropes is infinitesimal. I would love to go over some things with you if it wouldn't make you uncomfortable." Logan looked hopeful for a few seconds before replacing his expression with one of a more refined intrigue.

"I wouldn't mind." Patton grinned. "And, I think you misused the word infinitesimal." Logan blinked.

"What?"

"It means really small!" Patton giggled.

"I... oh. I thought..." Loan looked up at Patton, confused. "How did you know what it meant?"

"I know big words!" Patton grinned. "I read a lot. Mostly fiction, but there were a few times where it was just me and a really big dictionary."

"Eat your eggs, nerd." Roman grinned, bumping Logan's leg with his own. Logan nodded, looking down at his plate.

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They stopped that night earlier than they usually did. It was still fairly light outside, good enough sun to be able to see by. They probably had an hour or two before it was actually dark enough to sleep. The area was more open than they were used to, mostly flat land, but Logan assured the group that it would be easier to practice in a field than with a lot of trees in the way.

"Alright! We're here!" Roman put his hands on his hips. "How do we start?"

"Well, first," Logan closed his eyes and made what looked like floating book chairs. Roman laughed a little in surprise as one of them practically scooped him up. Patton giggled as the other one bumped his legs and he jumped up to sit. Virgil just held up a hand, climbing on himself. "Patton, do you want to train with your wolf form?" Patton paused before shaking his head.

"Not yet. Maybe eventually, but not now." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Is that okay?"

"Of course." Logan turned to Roman. "Roman, I assume you're alright working with you... your fire sword." Roman nodded, putting his hands on his hips.

"Ready to learn, my teaching friend!" Logan rolled his eyes before turning to Virgil.

"Is there any part of your abilities that you would prefer not to work on?" Virgil bit his lip, thinking.

"Uh... I don't think so." He shifted in his seat, hoping that Darius wouldn't do anything crazy. 

"Alright. Then we should start with Roman if you don't mind?" Roman pouted.

"Why don't we start with you?" He folded his arms.

"Because I seem to have a grip on most of what I can do. And I have an idea of how to help you train with your abilities." Logan folded his arms right back, and Roman sighed.

"Okay, fine." He jumped off of the chair Logan had created. "So... how do we start?"

"Can you summon the sword?" Roman held out his hand and a sword roared to life. He grinned up at Logan.

"Yep!"

"Perfect, now... I would like to try something." A floating book appeared in front of Roman, and Roman looked up at Logan, confused. "Try cutting the book?" Virgil didn't miss the way Logan flinched as he said it, as if hurting the book would physically hurt him. Patton's eyes widened.

"What?" Patton bit his lip, looking at the book before looking away. "Tell me when it's over?" He covers his eyes.

"Are you sure, Logan?" Roman looked worried. "What... what if it hurts you?" Logan paused

"Try it. Don't do it in a violent way, maybe just... try to cut it slowly. I'll tell you if you need to stop." Roman nodded, and Logan took in a breath as his sword touched the book. When nothing happened, he cut a little deeper.

"Still good, Lo?" Roman asked. Virgil was also looking at Logan, who looked a little pained, but he nodded.

"I'm alright, no physical pain, though the speed of the destruction is a little..." He trailed off. 

"You're torturing the book, Roman." Virgil folded his arms, but he was defiantly smirking. "I think that's what he was trying to say. He's a huge reader, and you're just slowly cutting into it."

"I just don't want to hurt Logan!" Roman glared right back, but once he noticed Virgil was just teasing, he rolled his eyes. "And you're one to talk. I've never seen you pick up a book!" It was an odd blow, obviously Roman was trying to focus on the flaming sword in his hands instead of coming up with interesting insults, but it kind of stung.

"Jokes on you, Logan's teaching me." Virgil shot back without thinking. Roman froze, and the sword dissipated, leaving a gash in the book in front of him. Logan sighed and dispelled it.

"Logan's teaching you to what?" Roman turned to look at Virgil who had pulled his hood up, hiding as much as he could in the chair Logan had created. Logan was looking at Virgil with concern, and Patton's eyes were wide.

"Do you not know how to read?" Virgil could feel the beginning of panic rise in his throat. He swallowed, trying to get a hold of his breathing. It wasn't a big deal, he had told Logan before, and besides, he had done this to himself.

'It's okay, Virgil.' Darius's voice was soft and comforting, and he felt an arm around him. Without thinking about what this meant, Virgil leaned into the touch, taking a deep breath. 'It's alright. They just want to help. They won't get mad at you, and they won't think you're weird.'

"I'm trying to learn." Virgil finally said looking back to Patton. Patton's face lit up.

"That's so cool! Oh my goodness!" Virgil flinched. He hadn't been expecting that at all. He had been expecting some sort of shrug off as if he had overshared. But Patton's reaction was almost the opposite.

"Really? The fact that I don't know how to read is cool?" He rubbed his arm.

"Maybe not that," Patton laughed awkwardly. "But the fact that you're learning! That's really amazing, Virgil!" 

"Yeah, we're all learning things." Roman shrugs. "Some of us are learning in different areas than others!"

"It's true." Logan shrugged. "It's nothing to be ashamed of." Virgil was trying not to show how much he was blushing at that moment, and if the others noticed, they were kind enough not to say anything.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we just get back to the training?" Logan smiled.

"Of course. Roman, do you want to try again or take a break?" Roman looked at Virgil with a hint of mischief.

"I want to know what Virgil can do." Virgil's heart lept, and he looked to Logan.

"Are you alright with that?" Virgil nodded.

"Yeah. Just... give me a second." Virgil climbed off the chair, and Roman quickly claimed it. "What do I do?"

"Can you try... try shooting the book." A few books appeared floating in the air. "Or teleporting. Either way, we can figure it out from there."

'Oh, we can do better than that.' Darius's voice grinned in his ear. And that instinctive feeling washed over Virgil again, and his eyes closed. His hand lifted and he shot at each book, before teleporting into the air, hitting the other one, making it dissipate. He hit the last one before hitting the ground and teleporting back on top of Roman. 

"Hey!" Roman exclaimed, and Virgil grinned. It was that childish excitement that made it so that he didn't move away instantly, but when he looked to Logan and Patton, their eyes were wide.

"Was... did... did I do something wrong?" Logan shook his head.

"That was... amazing." He summoned a book with a title into his hands, though Virgil couldn't understand what the title was yet. He flipped a few pages. "I've... I've never heard of that kind of ability before, or anyone using both of what you can do at the same time. That was... amazing." Logan looked up and Virgil laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, yeah, that was cool, now get off of me," Roman grumbled and pushed Virgil off the chair. Virgil laughed.

"I many more ideas," Logan said, more to himself, before he turned to Patton. "Do you want to test out what you can do now?" Patton nodded quickly, getting up.

And that was how they spent most of the night. Shooting things, mostly spectral books, and learning about their abilities.


	20. The Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of the original fairy tales, so the real story of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid. Proceed with caution if what is in those stories is triggering.

"Our findings are this," Logan said into his recorder once he got a moment to himself the next day. They had spent most of the day before practicing their abilities and had been fairly tired after, deciding to go straight to sleep instead of drawing it out, so Logan was just now getting a moment to himself. "Virgil is very powerful. I'm still not sure to what extent, but he seems to gain an endless amount of energy by using his abilities, though he seems a little hesitant after a break. He can teleport midair, and shoot things as if he isn't thinking about it. It is my belief that he isn't, that there is something in his lineage or something else that is helping him do these things. I'm not sure if I would ask him or bring it up yet, maybe after things settle down a little more." He glanced back over to where the campfire was slowly glowing, and he could hear Patton and Roman's voices softly chatting. Every so often, Virgil would add something. Logan smiled.

"Roman seems to also be fairly powerful, we learned about his ability to create fire from nothing. My theory about the magic choosing us has proven to be correct thus far, Roman does have the most, and excuse my wording here, explosive personality, so fire seems to be fairly on point." Logan quickly looked around and lowered his voice. "In other news, our relationship seems to be going well so far, we still have not told the others, and I still have not taken him out on an actual date yet, but the few moments we end up together on a watch or just are able to, as he puts it, hang, I have found enjoyable. I hope he does as well."

"Patton, on the other hand, hasn't let us do very much with his shape-changing abilities. I know it's his decision in the long run, but that isn't to say that I was not disappointed when he asked us not to test anything with his, as he puts it, curse. Other than that, what we have discovered that he can heal people, though we don't know to what extent yet, that was not something we were going to test, and he is able to burn objects if he touches them and makes his hands glow. I am a little relieved to hear that he has something besides his wolf transformation to keep him safe."

"My abilities have tended to stay the same, we have learned that if someone harms the books that I create, it doesn't physically harm me, though there is something to say about the psychological pain of watching someone harm a book that is not something to gawk at." Logan sighed, leaning back. He closed his eyes for a few moments, before turning off the recording. He stayed there for a few seconds, letting his eyes close. He knew he should probably get up and go back to the others, but it seemed like so much work. 

He opened his eyes forcing himself to stand. He got up too quickly, and his vision faded for a few seconds, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. He put his hand on the tree next to him and waited for it to pass. It always did, and he walked back to the group.

"Hey, Lo!" Patton grinned up at him. "What's the plan for tomorrow?" Logan sat down with the group and took out the folder in his bag.

"Let me see..." Logan trailed off, tracing their path with his finger. "It seems we're heading to what mainly looks like a few houses stretched along the path, though there is an inn for travelers labeled on the map. We should get to the inn in a few days." Roman groaned, leaning his head back and exposing his neck which showed a faint bruise Logan had left the night before, making direct eye contact with Logan, who flushed bright red.

"Oh thank the gods, a bed!" Logan quickly looked away, trying not to look like he thought that Roman looked really, really hot. Or that he thought he was wearing far too many clothes.

"Awesome!" Patton grinned. "Alright, who wants to take the first watch?"

"I can." Logan jumped in. The past few nights, everyone had been fighting to keep watch of the camp first, and he wasn't fully sure why. The others exchanged glances before nodding.

"Alright, who wants to stay up with Logan?" Virgil raised his hand tentatively.

"I was... kind of hoping that we could learn a little more?" Logan smiled, and there was a soft glow of pride in his stomach. When he had offered to teach Virgil to read, he hadn't really expected him to say yes. And when he had accepted, Logan had expected him to get frustrated and give up quickly. To say that Logan was presently surprised was an understatement.

"Of course! And tomorrow, Patton, I would like to go over some questions I have for you." Patton nodded, smiling.

"Awesome!" He yawned, before laughing. "I guess I was more tired than I thought!"

"Go to sleep. We'll hold down the figurative fort." Patton gave Virgil a small smile before nodding.

"Alright! Let's go, Roman!" Roman sighed and stretched.

"Of course, Padre!" They made their way to the tent, and Logan relaxed a little as the fire crackled.

"Where would you like to start today?" Logan asked, moving closer to Virgil.

"Uh... I was thinking we would finish the story that we were reading?" Logan smiled.

"You know, I wouldn't have thought of you as someone who would have been this enraptured by fairy tales." Virgil blushed.

"They're cute! And kind of gruesome and amazing, and the people are always so stupid in them. It kind of makes me feel less dumb." He glanced at Logan with a small smile that made Logan's stomach do flip flops.

"Ah, a coping mechanism. I suppose both myself and Patton have turned to books as a coping mechanism." Logan laughed. "I'm slightly surprised that Roman hasn't turned to stories as well. He seems like someone who would enjoy a decently written adventure novel."

"That's true." Virgil nodded as the book appeared in Logan's hands. 

"Alright, where did we leave off?" He asked though he knew the answer. He just loved the way Virgil's face lit up when he recapped the story.

"The little mermaid had just traded her tongue for a pair of legs that would make it feel like she was walking on pins and needles whenever she moved, but she did it to be with a guy." He sighed. "It was kind of stupid, actually. But then he just told her that he was going to marry another girl."

"Excellent." Logan pointed to a few words. Virgil had gotten to the point where he no longer had to spell out each word as they went along, which was steller progress in Logan's mind. Virgil read the story until he got to the part where the sisters swam in the water under the ship. He paused.

"Is she... is she really going to kill the prince?" His face was one of worry and almost horror.

"Well, you would have to read more to find out, wouldn't you?' Logan couldn't help the smile spreading across his face.

"She gave up everything to be with him, but she was too dumb to learn to write or read-"

"At the time, a woman learning to read would be seen as scandalous."

"So? She could learn sign language-"

"It didn't exist."

"Well-" Virgil interrupted himself, throwing his hands up. "It's still stupid. Try drawing a picture, or, I don't know, NOT giving yourself up to a sea witch to be with a guy." Logan paused.

"Virgil, have you ever been in love?" Virgil gave Logan an odd look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Logan traced a few of the words with his thumb absent-mindedly. "If you are truly and one hundred percent in love with someone, you would give anything to be with them. It hurts too much not too." Virgil was quiet for a moment.

"Are you speaking from experience or...?" Logan let out a small puff of laughter.

"I'm not sure yet." And he wasn't. His feelings about Roman were very complicated. Everything they were doing was going a little faster than what Logan was used to, though they were making sure that they each were comfortable with everything. He hoped Roman was enjoying himself. He certainly had seemed to be the night before, but Logan wasn't sure what he was feeling. If he really was in love with his royal boyfriend, then why would he be thinking of doing the same things he did with Roman with the other two? It didn't make sense.

"Teach?" Virgil brought him back from his thoughts.

"My apologies, I appear to have zoned out. Continue." Logan gestured to the book, and Virgil did. As they finished the tale, Virgil leaned back.

"She killed herself for him." He seemed a little stunned.

"Would you have preferred she killed him?" Logan was teasing him, and Virgil laughed.

"No, I would prefer her to not have gotten into that relationship in the first place," Virgil grumbled.

"Can I ask you a question?" Logan tilted his head.

"Go ahead?"

"Who do you think was the villain in the story?" Virgil paused for a few moments.

"I mean... the witch was obviously meant to be the villain..." He ran a hand through his hair. His jacket wasn't pulled tightly around him like it normally was, and Logan took the opportunity to admire what he rarely got to see. The curve of his neck where it met his shoulder. The wide, almost innocent-looking eyes. The quirk of his lips when he wasn't actively trying to stop smiling. "But my first reaction is the Prince." Logan couldn't help a quick glance at the tent.

"Really?" Virgil could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Not because of Roman! I think?" Virgil thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Because he didn't seem to understand her pain. But then again, that wasn't his fault, there was no way for him to know." Logan nodded. That was what he thought when he first read the story as well.

"So, who, in your opinion, was the villain?" Virgil paused before turning to Logan, nervousness apparent.

"Her." Logan smiled.

"That was my conclusion as well. She was the villain of her own story." Virgil relaxed a little. Logan smiled, reaching up and petting his hair a little. He had gotten in the habit of doing it after he had thought Virgil was asleep. He had wanted to test if it was as soft as it looked. It had been, but he hadn't expected Virgil to be awake. He defiantly didn't expect Virgil to ask him to continue.

"Did... did I do well?" Virgil asked, his voice soft. He always got like this near the end of their watch, smaller and tired, insecurities apparent on his face. Logan's instinct was to kiss them away, tell him how good he was, tell him everything amazing and beautiful about him, but that was going more than a step too far. And besides, he was with Roman. He shouldn't be thinking about things like that.

"You did very well, Virgil." Virgil let out a soft puff of air, relaxing a little. "Good boy." It was soft, and it was completely pushing the boundaries of what he should be saying, but he couldn't help himself. When he had said it before, Virgil had blushed brilliantly. He played dumb, hoping Virgil would think he was just inexperienced but other than the first time where he really had forgotten the connotation, he knew exactly what he was saying. Virgil made a soft noise in the back of his throat but didn't say anything. Logan hoped he wasn't making him uncomfortable, but every time he said it, Virgil's eyes would close for half a second and he would relax entirely. The reaction was almost addicting.

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"Patton, may I speak to you?" Patton had been bouncy all day. Logan wasn't exactly sure why, but he had been walking a few steps ahead of the group, humming to himself. Roman and Virgil had gotten into a conversation after Roman had asked what Virgil and Logan had read the night before and were now arguing over the story of The Little Mermaid.

"Of course! What did you want to talk about?"

"Well... I have a few questions about your... curse, as you put it." Patton let out an awkward laugh.

"Of course. Go ahead! Ask me anything! I won't promise I'll know the answer, but I'll try my best!" Logan relaxed a little.

"Well, my first question," He adjusted his glasses. "Have you ever met another wolf beside your mother?" Patton paused, before shrugging. 

"I think so?" He bit his lip. "My dad told me that when we were escaping, he went to the pack and they helped to hide me and him for a little bit, but I don't remember it." Logan nodded, mentally jotting something down.

"Alright, and you said that at the end of the month, you lose control?" Patton shrugged.

"It's a little more complicated than that. If you switch regularly, then you end up not being forced to change at the end of the month. But you have to switch at least once for you not to have to transform." Logan opened his mouth, and Patton thought of something else. "Oh, and it has to be for a while. Not for like, a few seconds, and then you change back, and you're fine. The less you use your abilities, the less in control you are."

"Fascinating..." Logan muttered, and Patton laughed. "And... do you wish to suppress your abilities? When you get back, of course, for now, I think not suppressing would be in everyone's best interest." Patton paused as if he hadn't thought of it.

"I... if I'm honest, I don't. It was why my mom got caught. She ended up suppressing too much, it wasn't healthy." He rubbed his neck. "But my dad is going to want me not to change. It's too much work to make sure no one's watching and-"

"You wouldn't have to do any of that," Logan said quickly. Patton looked at him, surprised.

"Of course I would! If someone saw me... I mean, besides you guys, I'd be kicked out or..."

"Or worse." Logan finished and Patton nodded.

"I can't risk it." Patton rubbed his arm.

"Well, I'm not sure about the other two, but I can tell you something for certain." Patton looked up with interest. "I am not going to let anything happen to you. Ever. So if you want to be who you are, then be who you are. If you don't, if you want to keep it to yourself throughout the month and let it all out on one day, then we will support you." Patton smiled.

"Thank you, Logan." 

"That is not true, and you know it!" Roman said, louder than necessary. 

"It's completely true! She was a moron, and so were her sisters!" Roman gasped.

"You take that back, I swear to the gods-"

"Make me." Virgil stuck his tongue out at Roman, who couldn't look more offended if he were trying. 

"You- you can't- Logan!" Roman called over, more of a whine than anything else. Patton gave Logan a look, and Logan laughed softly.

"What is it you require, Roman?"

"Tell him he's wrong!" Roman jabbed a finger at Virgil.

"What are we talking about?" Patton asked, looking between Virgil and Roman as they caught up to the two in front. 

"Virgil says that The Little Mermaid was an idiot! Tell him he's wrong!" Roman folded his arms.

"She was an idiot. She gave away her tongue-" Virgil matched Roman's stance.

"For true love!"

"For some guy who made her dance for him, even though every time she moved it hurt-"

"He didn't know!"

"And then she died for him."

"He's targeting me!" Roman whined, leaning back a little. "Logan, tell him he's wrong!"

"I actually agree with Virgil on this point."

"What?" Roman's eyes widened. 

"There were many other solutions. For example, she could have talked to him when she was a mermaid and told him that she was in love with him."

"Right?" Virgil threw up his hands. "There were so many easier solutions besides 'sell your soul'"

"There is a side to you I never knew." Roman's gaze pierced into Logan, but Logan could tell he was playing as he slowly shook his head from side to side.

"Well, I agree with Roman!" Patton offered helpfully. Virgil groaned and Roman made a triumphant noise. "I thought the whole thing was really romantic, and love makes you do crazy things. At least... that's what books say."

"I think you're both insane." Virgil sighed.

"And would not survive ten minutes in an actual fairy tale setting," Logan added. 

"I totally would! I'm the physical representation of a fairy tale prince! Just like Sleeping Beauty's prince" Roman struck a pose.

"I... I don't think that's actually something to be proud of, Roman." Logan gave Roman an odd look.

"What's sleeping beauty?" Virgil asked, and Roman gasped.

"You... you argued with me about the little mermaid, but don't know about Sleeping Beauty?" Roman put a hand to his heart.

"It's a story about a princess who was cursed to die on her sixteenth birthday, but instead of actually dying, a fairy lightened the curse so she just fell asleep for a hundred years," Patton explained, smiling.

"And then a handsome prince kisses her and wakes her up and they run away together and live happily ever after!" Roman put his hands on his hips again.

"That's... that isn't accurate." Logan gave Roman a confused look. Roman looked right back.

"What do you mean?"

"In the story of sleeping beauty, and forgive me if anyone is sensitive to this, but the prince had non-consensual intercourse with Sleeping Beauty while she was asleep. She gave birth to twins, and woke up completely on her own, and then the prince's wife," Logan emphasized the word wife, "Tried to kill her for having the prince's children, even though she had no way of defending herself." Roman's face paled.

"What? That isn't what happened!" Roman looked to Patton, who winced. "What?"

"That's the story I heard too." Patton rubbed his arm.

"That can't be right..." Roman trailed off before some realization seemed to dawn on him. He looked up to Logan in almost a panic. "What about... what about Beauty And The Beast? A story about true love and finding someone who looks past your appearance!" Logan let out a soft laugh.

"A story about a father who gave his youngest daughter to a monster who asked for her in exchange for a flower, and Stockholm syndrome, if I'm correct." Patton nodded.

"And Mulan?" Logan tilted his head.

"I'll admit, I haven't heard of that one." Roman sighed.

"It's the story of a girl who was born in a very weird society where girls couldn't choose who they loved or get jobs, and this girl runs away to join the army to save her family." He folded his arms. "Please tell me you've heard that one?"

"Not to my recollection, no." Logan looked to Patton, who shook his own head.

"And I read a lot of stories as a kid." Patton laughed awkwardly.

"My whole world has just changed," Roman said, looking at the ground. Virgil laughed.

"Don't worry, princey. We'll get lunch in a bit. And we'll ruin more stories for you." Roman groaned, and Logan smiled a little. He didn't notice how attached he had been getting to the other three until he realized that he wasn't thinking about his dad, or how much longer until they could stop and rest, or how long it would take them to get to the witch's lair. He was just happy to be there with his friends.

That was a dangerous feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was me realizing that I subtly linked a few of these characters to certain stories. If you want to guess from who to what, then feel free to comment XDXD


	21. The Meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Cooking, mentions of polyamory (but if that's a trigger, you really shouldn't be reading this story), but this one's pretty much just Royality fluff. Enjoy!

"Are you sure you don't mind? We can't help at all?" Logan was asking, as Patton waved him off.

"You two go ahead and practice! Roman and I can handle the cooking." Patton grinned at Roman, who nodded. It had been a long day for everyone, the night before, they had gotten attacked again. Thanks to Virgil's planning, though, they were able to fend them off fairly quickly. Patton had noticed something as he had transformed into a wolf, they had the same smell as before. They were the same people. They were tracking them.

He obviously hadn't mentioned this to anyone, it would have terrified Virgil more than he already was, and Logan seemed to be on the brink of a nervous breakdown at any moment.

"Yeah, don't worry about us! We'll just be here waiting for you to return." Roman said as dramatically as possible. Patton bit back giggles as Logan rolled his eyes. 

"We will be back shortly." Logan adjusted his glasses.

"Yeah, and we expect dinner ready. Now come on." Virgil teased, before grabbing Logan's wrist and dragging him off to a small clearing Roman had found while gathering wood. Patton turned back to Roman with a grin.

"You ready to cook?" Roman paused.

"Wait, you were serious?" He looked around. "I've never cooked anything in my life!"

"Well, now is an amazing place to start! I have an amazing recipe for pasta, there's really no way to mess it up! we just need to get the pot..."

"What pot?" Roman looked cautious, and Patton grinned. 

"This pot!" Patton pulled out his bag of cooking supplies. It wasn't anything big, a small pot, and a few light pans. but it was enough to make food with that wouldn't drive them all insane. 

"You were carrying that the whole time?" Roman's eyes widened, and Patton laughed.

"I thought we might need them! And they weren't that heavy." That was a lie. The first few days when Patton carried the utensils were horrible. He would have to shift shoulders every so often so it wouldn't hurt too badly, but after the first three days of travel, it had gotten a lot easier. He wondered whether it was because of the transformation, or if he was actually getting stronger. 

"Alright... so what do I do?" Roman looked around, and Patton grinned.

"Grab the pot, and follow me!" Patton had seen a stream not too far off, and lead Roman too it. "Alright, fill the pot with the water, I'll help you carry it back!" Roman did as he was asked, and let out a soft grunt as he tried to lift it.

"Heavy... help?" Patton laughed, but quickly helped, adding his minuscule strength. It was enough to lift it above the water level, and they dumped a little out, before walking back to the fire. 

"Alright, so now..." Patton set the pot down. "We're going to need to let the water boil. Help me drag it closer to the fire?" Roman did and watched in awe as the water slowly started to bubble.

"Are we cooking now?" Roman asked, and Patton laughed.

"Not yet. We need to add the noodles." Roman's face fell.

"We didn't get noodles, Pat-" Patton shook his head.

"No, I always carry some food with me! I have a secret stash!" Patton quickly ran to his cooking bag, pulling out the box of noodles he brought with him. "This should be enough!" Roman's eyes widened.

"What else have you been keeping from us in there?" Patton handed Roman the box of noodles, before putting a finger to his lips, and pulling out a box of cookies. Roman's eyes widened, and he held out a hand. Patton laughed and put one in the center of his palm, taking a cookie for himself. Then he took a moment to get Roman and himself another one and put the box away.

"I think this is a day for second cookies, don't you?" Roman made a noise of agreement, but his mouth was already full of cookie. Patton laughed and emptied the box of noodles into the pot of water. 

"Now are we cooking?" Roman asked, licking his fingers.

"Yep!" Patton grinned.

"Wow. Add that to the list of new things for me." Roman muttered, watching the pot.

"What else is on that list?" Patton asked, getting out the ingredients for the sauce. He was lucky that Roman had gotten a few of the other foods he couldn't bring with him, and he got those out too. Roman looked back to Patton, sitting next to him.

"Well... apologizing was something new, cooking is now on there, apparently the fairy tales that I grew up with aren't the ones other people grew up with, and-" He cut himself off, and Patton grinned.

"You had your first relationship with us?" Roman nodded, before looking to Patton with surprise.

"How did you know?" Patton laughed.

"I saw you two kissing a few days ago. That, and when I was in wolf form, I could smell him all over you, and you all over him." Patton grinned, and Roman blushed.

"Do... do you think Virgil knows?" Patton shook his head.

"I think he's suspicious, but he doesn't know yet. I for one think it's adorable. But I'm not sure why you tried to hide it." Roman brushed back his hair with one hand, and Patton's breath catches for a moment. He looked regal like that, one hand up in his hair, legs folded under him, the shadows that were starting to fall didn't even seem to want to touch him in his radiance. Patton made a mental note to write that line down later. 

"Logan was a little worried it wouldn't work out. And he didn't want to make you two jealous." Roman waggled his eyebrows, and Patton laughed.

"Do you like him?" Roman sighed dreamily.

"He's amazing. He's... he's so gentle. You don't expect that. I didn't, at least. He's always worried about me if I'm alright with whatever we're doing. I just..." He glanced back to Patton, who was watching him intently and looked away quickly. "I feel safe around him."

"Awwww! That's so cute!" Patton nearly squealed.

"What about you?" Patton froze for a few moments, worried about being caught for something he hadn't fully figured out yet. He tilted his head.

"What do you mean?" Roman laughed, holding up a hand.

"I just meant to say, what do you think of the group? Sorry, I phrased it weird." Patton laughed and nodded, adding a few more things to the sauce before putting it closer to the fire.

"Well, you're awesome. I like the way that you always are so confident, even if you're not all the time." Roman preened under the praise. "I also like the way your mind works, when we play that spelling game- Ohhh, we were playing that for Virgil weren't we?" Patton's eyes widened and Roman paused.

"Wait, we were?" Roman glanced around. 

"Yeah! Logan was the one who brought it up, and he was always a little more gentle with Virgil when he got something wrong! Virgil couldn't read!" Patton sighed.

"Oh, my gods..." Roman laughed into his hands. "We're morons."

"We aren't morons!" Patton put his hands on his hips, but he was giggling too. "We're just... not observant." They both were laughing now, hand on their stomach laughing. When they calmed down, Roman wiped a tear from his face.

"Alright, alright, continue about how great I am." Patton grinned at him, taking a bowl and going to go drain the pasta. 

"You're always so creative with your answers when we play games together. And I like it when you flirt with us." Patton admitted, blushing a little. Roman nodded, flipping his hair a little.

"Alright, what about the other two?" Patton thought about it.

"Logan's really sweet. I can tell he doesn't want to be viewed as soft or sweet, but he is. But he's really scary when you make him mad!" Roman nodded.

"I kind of love it, is that bad?" Patton shook his head quickly.

"Not at all! And, if this isn't awkward, I also kind of like it too. He gets so protective, it's super adorable!" Roman nodded. "And when he's reading, you can always tell when he's really interested because he'll put his face a little closer and mouth the words."

"He always talks about what he was reading when we take watches together. He gets really into it." Roman laughs, but it's a little more breathy.

"And Virgil, he's always so worried about everyone. I just... I want to wrap him in a blanket and cuddle with him until he really believes everything's gonna be alright." Roman nods but leans forward a little bit. "And he's so cute when he just wakes up, he's always a little bleary and delirious, and he has the blanket up to his chest and he's just so gosh darn cute!" Roman raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I think you like Virgil." Patton paled.

"What? No, I don't, why would you think that?" He laughed awkwardly, busying himself with making bowls of pasta for everyone.

"Because you made the face Logan makes when he's talking about a really interesting book." Roman grins. "I think you like Virgil." Patton froze. 

Did he like Virgil? I mean, of course, he did, he was smart and sweet, if a little shy. He was the type of person Patton used to imagine taking care of when he was younger. He was the type of person who Patton wanted to hug and kiss forever and...

Oh, gods, he liked Virgil.

"Oh, gods..." Patton whispered, and Roman laughed.

"Welcome to my world!" Roman grinned at Patton. That was his reaction when he had realized he liked Logan. It was a few moments of just thinking, processing, and then the need to just... do something about it. But Patton wasn't processing exactly what Roman thought he was thinking about.

Patton was thinking about the entire group.

He was thinking about the way Logan's eyes would narrow when someone said something teasing to him and he wasn't ready for it, as if he could figure it out just by focusing. He always caught on after the first few comments, but it was adorable how he was so obsessed with understanding everything, but he didn't seem to understand teasing. He was thinking of how powerful Logan looked when he was standing up for the group, how protective he was on instinct. When he would get to an interesting part in a book, how he would chew on his lower lip, leaning forward with nothing but the excitement in his eyes, like a child getting a new toy.

He was thinking about the way Virgil would hug him in his sleep when it got a little too cold at night and Patton has asked if it was okay if they cuddled. The way Virgil mumbled something about Patton being warm and then went fully back to sleep. The way he always ate the food Patton gave him and said thank you, even when no one else did when they were too interested in the conversation. Virgil didn't mind just sitting there in silence when they were in the room together, just enjoying each other's company. And when Patton had wanted to talk, Virgil had seemed to understand, not shutting him down or shutting him out. 

He was thinking about the way Roman had looked the first time he put on his sash. He was thinking about the way his hair would blow in the wind, majestic and royal, exactly like him. The curl of his mouth when someone made a particularly witty comment. The way he jumped in when they had been talking about stories. The pure joy he seemed to hold for all of them, the way he seemed to understand which of their buttons to press to make them smile. The way that he could always seem to tell the mood of the group, and if it was down, he could lift it up. It was infectious, the way he made Patton smile and laugh and feel fuzzy.

Patton didn't just like Virgil.

He liked all of them.

"Patton, are you alright?" Patton blinked a few times, and Roman was standing next to him, one hand on his back. 

"Yeah! Yeah, sorry! Just... wow!" He laughed awkwardly. He could never tell them, of course. It was too awkward. Roman liked Logan, didn't he? And you can't like more than one person, that's cheating. Was Patton cheating on Virgil? They weren't even together, that was a stupid thought. Was he making Logan and Roman cheat on each other by thinking about them like that? Was he doing something wrong?

"I know, right?" Roman laughed. "I didn't realize I liked Logan until he yelled at me." Patton looked up in surprise.

"What?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"Look, he was upset, and it was kind of hot." Roman groaned. "And you can't tell me he wasn't."

"No, I'll agree with that. He was kind of hot." For a moment, Patton thought he had stepped too far, but Roman just nodded enthusiastically.

"I know! Ugh, and he has no idea. It's this clueless hotness that's driving me crazy!" Patton grinned.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Patton grinned at Roman.

"Uh, no. I could never." He paused. "Well, maybe one day. But not now. He's... he's so amazing, and smart and just... ugh!" Roman sighed. "I would tell him, but not now."

"You should tell him," Patton advised, even though he knew he had the least experience of anyone.

"Really?" Roman sounded slightly skeptical, and more than a little nervous.

"Yeah, I think he would really appreciate hearing that." 

"That smells really good!" Virgil's tired voice broke through their conversation, and Patton blushed. He hoped that the pair of them hadn't heard their conversation. By the looks of it, they hadn't.

"Thanks, Virge! We made pasta!" Roman put his hands on his hips heroically. "You may thank me now."

"I'm betting Patton did most of the work." Virgil rolled his eyes, and Roman pouted as Virgil turned to Patton. "Thanks for that."

"Of course! Anything for you guys!" Oh, gods, he was coming on too strong. He was making a fool of himself, and the others would realize he had a crush on them, and hate him forever.

"It does smell wonderful, Patton. Thank you both for making it for us." Logan sat down next to Roman, and Roman grinned. Patton passed out the pasta quickly, brushing fingers with each person. How did he not notice before? He had read practically every romance novel known to man. He had written more. He had created characters just to have them fall in love and kiss, get married, and have children. He read stories and books and was practically obsessed with the idea of love.

And here he was, with his three crushes in front of him, and he had no idea. He wondered for how long he had felt this way. Or if any of them thought the same about him. He really hoped so, but if they did... how would it work?

"Patton, are you alright?" Logan asked, looking genuinely worried.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry! I don't know what's coming over me." He laughed.

"Do you feel sick?" Logan asked, tilting his head.

"No, nothing like that. Just a little zoned out. That's all." Patton hoped it was reassuring. He hated seeing Logan worried. 

"Do you want to take the second watch, then?" Virgil asked, mouth full. He was already halfway done with his bowl, and Patton laughed.

"That might be nice, yeah. I'm feeling a little tired." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do you think it's something that has to do with the transformation?" Logan leaned forward and his eyes were wide with interest. Patton took a few moments to just enjoy that look, the intense curiosity and something else. Patton couldn't place his finger on it, but he liked it.

"It might. I've been doing it a lot recently, maybe it's the huge surge of energy I'm using?" Patton yawned.

"That's interesting..." Logan's notebook wasn't too far away since they had just been training with Virgil's abilities, and he flipped to a page that was scribbled through with notes. Patton could never understand how he was able to keep focus like that, with one topic. In most of his notebooks, they were filled with random doodles or sketches or poems that didn't really fit together in any sort of coherent way. One day, he would want to ask Logan if he was allowed to look at what notes he had scribbled inside. He wanted to know how Logan's mind worked.

"Who else wants to join Patton?" Roman asked, before glancing at Patton with a subtle wink. "What about you, Virgil?" Patton bit his lip, looking away, trying not to blush. Of course, Roman would be the type to want to play matchmaker. Patton didn't mind, but he glanced at Virgil, who obviously knew something was up.

"Uh... sure. I'm pretty tired." Virgil did a quick sweep of the surrounding area. "Do you think you and Logan could hold down the fort if something happens?"

"The attack was yesterday, I don't think they would be stupid enough to attack two days in a row." Logan adjusted his glasses, closing his notebook. "It honestly would be foolish."

"But I do think we could handle ourselves." Roman raised an eyebrow at Logan, who nodded.

"I'm sure. It's not as if we haven't taken watch by ourselves before, Virgil." Virgil blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah... sorry." His voice was soft, and Patton shook his head.

"No need to be sorry, Virge! Now, does someone mind helping me wash the dishes?" Logan got up quickly.

"I can help with that." He took the other three's bowls and looked to Patton with a smile.

"Alright! Follow me to the water!" Patton giggled, taking the pot and pan, and leading Logan away from the camp. He heard Roman and Virgil talking softly about something, and Patton smiled. This was all really, really nice. He hoped it lasts


	22. The Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Ranting about your lot in life, not feeling good, slight Roman angst before major Logince fluff, LOGAN IS A STARGAZER CHANGE MY MIND YOU CAN'T, accidentally coming out as trans to someone?

"I still refuse to believe that you're telling me the truth about those stories," Roman grumbled, arms folded.

"Roman, I assure you, these are the stories that everyone has heard from childhood." Logan was obviously tired of this conversation, but Roman was not about to back down.

"Why would they do that, though? Why would they change it?" He threw up his hands. "I don't get it!"

"Wouldn't they want you to think princes and kings were always good?" Virgil interjected, and Roman paused.

"I... ugh! That sucks!" Roman hissed. "I hate royalty."

"You are royalty." Patton pointed out, and Roman resited to say something along the lines of 'Exactly'

"It's been two days, Roman. You cannot keep bringing it up."

"I was robbed, Logan. Robbed! They stole the original stories from me and replaced them with some weird hybrid!" Logan rolled his eyes, but Roman knew that look. He wasn't annoyed, not really, just playing up the part because it gave something for Roman to push back against. He was grateful for it, more than Logan could ever know.

"You also got extra stories, which was fun!" Patton added. "Like Mulan!" Roman paused before reluctantly nodding.

"Yeah... still. Being born royal made it so I didn't get the originals when other people did!." Roman folded his arms.

"And being born a royal also gave you access to education, privilege, the ability to buy basically whatever you want, and pretty much anything else you could possibly dream of." Virgil wasn't looking at Roman directly, and he got the feeling that there was something else going on here. 

"Yes, but being born a royal, and not just any royal, the oldest son of the king, means I can't choose anything!" Roman wasn't supposed to talk about this, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. It was bad, to complain about his lot in life. He knew he was lucky, that he had food and water and siblings and tutors and really anything he wanted. Whenever he asked someone to jump they would ask how high. It was just... too much of it and not enough of what he actually wanted.

"So?" Virgil shrugged. "If other people chose everything for me, but I could live in a huge castle with servants and stuff, I'd gladly take that deal."

"I wouldn't." Roman folded his arms. "It sounds like a shit deal."

"Language," Patton corrected.

"Sorry, Pat." Roman turned back to Virgil. "But it's not just... they make all the decisions someone is supposed to make. Where you go, what you do, how you're dressed, what you say, how you say it, but you're supposed to make all the hard decisions!" Roman almost forgot the other three were there, he was just so... angry. He hadn't told any of this to anyone before, but it always pissed him off, the way the other people always expected him to be perfect. He wasn't perfect. He didn't know what was best for the world yet, he had barely touched the world.

"You're supposed to make the decisions that could keep people from eating. Whether to keep a guarding system that hurts people for absolutely no reason or replace it with something that would make half the country so mad they might rebel. You can't help anyone! Because everyone always thinks you're trying to help yourself, and you aren't! But they don't trust you, because why would they? You don't know anything about the world because of stupid laws that say you aren't legally allowed to leave the grounds of your house for sixteen years! And even then, you're expected to be followed by two 500-ton armored and trained fighters, just in case someone looks at you the wrong way!" Virgil was looking at Roman with concern, but Roman was far from done.

"And you live with your siblings, all of which are more qualified than you to do anything you're expected to do, your twin has always been the curious, chaotic, creative one, your younger sister has always been so much kinder and sweeter than you, your other sister is a genius and could explain why the sky is blue to a horse in a way that he'd understand, and your little brother is just a better leader than you! And one day, you eavesdrop on a conversation that your dad had with his advisors about how he wished your little brother was the one who was born first so the kingdom could actually stand a chance! And there's nothing you can do to fix it because you're already turning sixteen, and you can't help that, no matter what happens, you always want something different from what everyone tells you you're supposed to want! You want to go on adventures and help people that way instead of making orders and decrees and hoping someone else will carry them out!" He paused because he ran out of breath, and glanced back at the other three who had stopped walking. Their eyes were wide, and he closed his own, the next thing he said quieter.

"And you can't say anything to anyone because it would be close to treason, and your father would hate you, and your siblings would never forgive you. And you can't go off and do adventures or help people hands-on because who would lead the country then? Your twin? The one who does stupid stuff all the time just to see what would happen? You would be giving up on your country." They stood there in silence for a few moments, each of his friends looking worried. Patton took a step forward, reaching a hand to touch his shoulder, and Roman flinched back. "It's a hypothetical situation."

No one bought it, but they started walking when Roman did. He was glad they weren't talking about it for a little while, he knew he needed to calm himself a little more before he talked to any of them. He had talked himself into a deep hole that he wasn't sure he could get out of.

"Roman, do you really hate it that much?" Patton's voice was soft, and he didn't try to touch Roman again, which he was slightly disappointed by. Roman sighed.

"I'd be lying if I said no." Roman's voice matched Patton's in volume. Virgil bit his lip, nudging Roman with his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Roman looked at him, confused.

"Why? It's not like you knew. And you weren't supposed to know." 

"Yeah, but still. It... it sounds hard. And I should have known it would be hard for you too. Maybe in a different way, but still hard. So... I'm sorry." Virgil was blushing slightly, and Roman wanted to turn Virgil's face to his, make him see he really had nothing to be sorry for. There was that pang again in his stomach, a twinge of jealousy that he hadn't expected when talking about Virgil with Patton. Patton liked him, it was pretty obvious, but Roman hadn't expected to realize that, while liking Logan, he also liked Virgil. He had decided to talk to Logan about it when they got to another inn, it would be easier to go over exactly what he was feeling when they had more privacy.

"You really have nothing to be sorry for, J-D-lightful. It's alright." Roman sighed. "I'm sorry for ranting like that. I just... I'm not supposed to talk about it, so I think it all came out at once?" Logan nodded.

"Don't be sorry for releasing your feelings in a healthy way. If you need to talk about things that way, then don't be afraid to let us know. We will listen." Logan glanced at the other three. "Well, I'm speaking for myself. Some people internalize the stress, and can't handle it, but if you three need to talk to someone, I am always an option." There was genuine caring in his voice, and Roman was struck with the overwhelming urge to kiss him. But, even though Patton knew, Virgil still didn't, and it would be a little mean to flaunt it. That didn't stop him from reaching for Logan's hand and squeezing.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day was remarkably lighter, and when they stopped, it was already getting dark, so they set up quickly and ate even faster. They all wanted to sleep in a bed as quickly as possible, and sleeping was an easy way to pass the time. Logan and Roman were practically forced into the second watch, so when Virgil woke Roman up, both Logan and Roman could tell they would be out cold in a few moments.

"I want to show you something," Logan said quietly.

"Oh really? Is this that date you promised me?" Roman teased, raising an eyebrow, and Logan rolled his eyes.

"Roman," He said in that warning tone that made Roman melt a little.

"What is it?" Roman asked, and Logan smiled.

"I'll show you, but could you put out the fire?" Roman pouted.

"Logan, it's cold!"

"I can keep you warm," Logan said, almost without thinking, but he instantly blushed. "I meant cuddling, gods that sounded wrong-"

"No, don't you dare backpedal." Roman laughed, holding up a hand. "Putting out the fire now." And as he focused, the fire did go out. Logan grabbed Roman's hand and lay on his back. Roman hesitated but joined him. He hadn't been lying, it was cold, but Logan put an arm around Roman, and he felt better. "Okay, what did you want to show me?" Logan rolled his eyes, pointing up with the hand that wasn't around Roman's shoulders.

"Look up, love." Logan didn't even seem to notice the pet name, but Roman did, and it made him feel all gooey and melty again. He looked up and gasped.

"Whoah." He could hear Logan's smile next to him.

A thousand tiny lights danced above their heads. They glimmered and went in and out of focus. Roman squinted his eyes. There were so many more of them than he remembered at the castle. There were more than a few clouds that blocked a few of the stars, it probably wasn't the best night to go stargazing, but Logan didn't seem to mind, and as the clouds passed, the stars seemed brighter as if the sky was winking at him.

"Whoah." He repeated, and Logan laughed softly.

"Whoah indeed."

"They were never this beautiful at the castle, it was always too bright. Are they... I can see different colors!" Logan nodded.

"When I was younger, my fathers used to bring me stargazing." Roman imagined it, a little Logan in the same sort of button-down he wore now, a bow tie, and glasses, leaning against one of his dad's, just staring up at the sky. He wasn't going to lie, it was one of the cutest things he could think of. "Dad would always get upset that he was getting dirty, and would go back to the cart, but Christopher... he would stay with me as long as I wanted. Even when dad would get upset that we were staying for so long." Logan closed his eyes, practically breathing the next few words. "I was his little girl." There was so much to unpack in that simple sentence. The first thing Roman noticed was the tone, the sadness and hurt, and remorse that seemed to be stuffed into those five words. Then Roman took a few seconds to process the actual meaning of those words and put them together. 

"Logan?" Logan's eyes widened, and he looked away.

"My... my apologies, I didn't mean to say that- I just-" He cut himself off with a strangled sigh. "I'm sorry, I'll go-." He moved his arm out from under Roman's head, but Roman caught his wrist.

"Logan, wait," Logan turned back to look at Roman with wide, scared eyes. "It's alright. I... it doesn't matter." He paused a moment, Logan biting his lip, and hoped he had understood the words right. "You're you. You're Logan, you've always been Logan." Roman shifted so they were both on their sides, laying on the floor, heads touching. "It doesn't change anything." Logan let out a shaky breath that agreed with all of Roman's theories

"Are you sure? I... it does change a few things, and you might not enjoy them, and I haven't... I still-" He was cut off by Roman kissing him. It was sweet, full of passion, but no heat or neediness or expectation. Logan, for what Roman thought was the first time, submitted completely to the kiss, letting Roman guide him. They pulled apart, breathing softly.

"You're amazing, Logan. You're smart, and sweet, and caring. You know what I need before I know what I need. I don't care if you were a horse before I met you, you are you. Tell me what you need me to do because I'll do it. I trust you, Logan, and I want to help you with anything I can. I care about you. So much." Logan opened his mouth to say something else, but he was cut off by Roman's caring gaze. "Nothing you tell me now will change that." There were a few moments of silence before Logan glanced away.

"I suppose I will not have to hide the bodies in my family's basement anymore." Roman was taken aback.

"The what?" He remembered to keep his voice down so he didn't wake up the other two, so it came out as more of a hiss. Logan smiled.

"I'm teasing you." Logan smiled before pausing. "I believe. We have been on the road for a week, my dad might have murdered someone and hid them in the basement without my knowledge." Roman laughed, leaning forward to kiss Logan again. Logan kissed back, and it was sweet and soft, everything they both needed at that moment. Logan let Roman lead him, and when they pulled away, they were both flushed slightly and smiling. 

"Tell me about the stars," Roman asked, looping his arm around Logan's waist. He paused, wondering for a moment if Logan would mind. He didn't want to do anything that would make his boyfriend uncomfortable or dysphoric, especially after entrusting him with the information he accidentally just had. But Logan just leaned into Roman, his entire body more relaxed than it had been before.

"There are a lot of constellations all over." Logan gestured vaguely up. "Do you know some of them?" Roman winced.

"To be honest, before, astronomy was never a subject I excelled at." Roman tilted his head to Logan. "But before I didn't have a handsome, intelligent, and sexy teacher, so maybe this time will be different." Even in the darkness, Roman could see Logan blush. He cleared his throat a few times, and Roman grinned. 

"Right." He was quickly able to regain control, which made Roman pout a little, but he continued to listen. "So, there are a few different interpretations of certain stars. Like that one," He pointed at a cluster. "What do you see?" Roman squinted at it.

"A lot of dots." Logan laughed. "They're pretty dots, though." Roman nodded, turning to Logan. "What do you see?"

"When I was younger, I used to see a horse. But now that I'm older, I think I see a doorway and a path." Logan traced it, and he was right. It did kind of look like an archway and a road. 

"That's... really accurate, actually!" Roman grinned and Logan nodded.

"When Father would ask dad, dad always responded that he could see how much time we were wasting staring at the sky." Logan laughed. "But he always meant it in a teasing way. He knew my father loved it." Logan's voice grew a little softer. "He used to say that we are looking at the same stars the gods did once. Or the same stars that anyone from history did. We're looking at the same stars as kings and queens. And that, no matter where we were in the world, we would always know that every night, we would be looking up and seeing the same stars."

"That's beautiful, Logan." Roman reached for Logan's hand. "You must really miss him." Logan shook his head softly.

"You really have no idea." There was a weighted pause before Logan spoke again. "He left before I had fully figured myself out. He knew I was a tomboy, he knew I hated skirts and dresses and anything like that and he was generally accepting, but... I don't know. I'm different now." Roman nodded as if he understood. He knew he never would, not fully, not in the same way, but he didn't care. He just wanted Logan to feel his support. Feel his love that he was too scared to share.

"I... I understand that to a small scale." Roman looked back up to the sky. "My mom died a few years after Rose was born. I know you knew that, but still." He closed his eyes. "I sometimes wonder if she would approve of me now." Logan leaned his head against Roman's shoulder.

"I think she would." Roman's heart wanted to burst. He wanted to sing and dance and kiss Logan so much and so deeply that both of their worries would go away. But he couldn't do any of that because Logan was in his arms right now, and he didn't want to move. He wanted to stay right there, looking at the stars with Logan, who, ever so often, would list a fact about a formation or constellation. He wanted to stay here, looking at the same stars that his mother used to look at when she was pregnant. He wanted to stay right there, watching the same stars that, at that very moment in a kingdom not so far off, Logan's father was. 

And everything was perfect.


	23. The Tavern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: The plan for this chapter has turned out to be almost completely different from what actually ended up happening, so... enjoy? Harassment of staff that is used to it, fear of storms, taking care of someone who got panicked during both of these events, threats of violence, and having to step in and save someone.

Virgil supposed they had been lucky it hadn't rained up until this point. The night before, when he and Patton had heard Logan and Roman talking about stars as they were falling asleep, it had been a little cloudy, but when it had started raining when they woke up that morning, they thought it would stop quickly.

It hadn't.

As the group walked, they were surprisingly cheery for the weather. Even though it was dark, the thick clouds covering the sky and the rain pelting their clothing enough so even under Virgil's jacket, he was uncomfortably wet, but Patton was skipping along with a huge grin on his face. Logan didn't look particularly comfortable, but Roman was holding his hand and swinging their arms together. Virgil himself would normally want to be as far away from the rain as possible, with rain would sometimes come storms and with storms would sometimes come-

Virgil jumped as a crack pierced the air, light flickering around the group for a millisecond. A few moments passed and there was a comforting rumbling noise as if the sky were apologizing for scaring him. Virgil hadn't noticed that he had whimpered until Logan's hand was on his shoulders.

"Are you alright, Virgil?" Virgil shifted, not shrugging off Logan's hand, but he hoped that the other boy had gotten the idea that it wasn't really necessary.

"Yeah, sorry. Just..." He shivered a little, not because it was cold, but because of a memory, he had thought he gotten rid of. "I don't really love storms." He could feel a different hand on his shoulder, this one just a ghost of a touch.

_"I'm sorry that I couldn't help you those days, Virgil."_ Virgil relaxed a little. While he and Darius hadn't really talked since that day in town, the day before they realized Patton was a werewolf, there was a sort of mutual understanding that Darius wasn't going anywhere, so Virgil had to learn how to manage.

"Any particular reason why?" Roman asked, looking back at him. "Sometimes talking about stuff makes it feel better! I feel better about what I talked to you guys about yesterday." He offered, and Virgil smiled.

"When... when I didn't have a place to live... it rained a lot?" Virgil tried. "I was younger and scared and there was a lot of lightning and rain and it was cold, and I was always scared I would freeze." He looked at the ground. He wasn't sure why he had said that. It was the truth, of course, but still. Roman wasn't pressuring him, no one had been pressuring him, and he hated giving out information about the in-between place after the fire and before Janus had found him. Janus didn't even know all that much.

To be honest, he didn't have a lot of memories from that time, so there wasn't much to tell.

"Virgil-" Roman's eyes were wide and worried, and another crack of lightning flashed around them. This time was worse, Virgil didn't' know why. It might have been the fact that he most defiantly wasn't prepared for this flash of light, or that he was distracted, or that he was reliving some of those memories, but however you spun it, Virgil yelped, curling in on himself. The rumble of thunder came again, but it wasn't nearly as comforting as it used to be. Instead of apologizing, it was laughing.

"-It's okay," Patton carefully touched Virgil's arm. Instead of pulling away, which he would have done with almost anyone else almost anywhere else, Virgil melted into Patton's touch, almost collapsing into his arms. Patton didn't hesitate, pulling him in for a soft and comforting hug. Virgil buried his face in Patton's chest. "Hey, hey, it's alright. We won't let anything hurt you, okay? You're safe now."

"We're almost at a tavern." Logan put a hand on Virgil's back, rubbing soft circles into it. "We can get inside and get warm and dry."

"I... I could carry you if you want?" Roman offered, and Virgil couldn't help but laugh."Ok, look, I don't know how to help, what do you need?" Virgil bit his lip.

"I'm sorry, I just... I'd like to get inside soon. I know you guys are uncomfortable too, it's just..."

"Virgil," Logan's voice was stern. "There is nothing wrong with being afraid. It does not make you weak. It's bringing up uncomfortable memories, and there is nothing wrong with that. We want to help." Virgil smiled into Patton's chest.

"Thank you." He didn't know if the others could hear him, but Logan smiled and nodded to Roman. Roman quickly scooped Virgil up into his arms.

"H-Hey!" Virgil gasped, gently hitting Roman's arms. "Roman!"

"Nope! I'm carrying you all the way to the tavern! I shall protect you, my dark knight!" That was new. A lot of the other nicknames Roman called him were more... for lack of a better word, derogatory. But this one was... was sweet. He kind of liked it.

They didn't run to the tavern, but Virgil did notice that they did hurry, and whenever there was another clap of lightning or thunder, Roman's arms tightened around him, or Logan would run a hand through his hair, or Patton would change the subject to something more light-hearted. He felt almost like a child, but it was in a sweet way that he never had gotten to experience in his own childhood.

Patton opened the door, and Roman had the sense to put Virgil down before they entered the tavern. The interior was rowdier than any of them were expecting, though by no means crowded. People were cheering, crammed into tables, more than a few drinking or already drunk, though it was in the middle of the day. No one seemed to mind or notice the four younger boys enter. No one except a girl who looked about their age at the counter, who waved them over.

"Welcome to the Traveler's Tavern, the best place to stop on the road. How may I help you?" One of the more particularly drunk guys made a whistling noise.

"Analiese! More booze!" A few others cheered, and the girl, Analiese, folded her arms at him.

"Only when I see more coin, Boris. We aren't running a charity." She loudly shot back, and a few other people cheered louder. Virgil didn't love this place already, it was too loud and crowded, and the other three seemed to notice. Logan's hand went to Virgil's, squeezing softly, and Roman linked their arms. Not for the first time, Virgil was grateful that they were there. 

"Sorry about that! End of the week rush and a lot of us have gotten more coin than we normally do this week. They always get a little rowdy around this time." She looked to the group before making a small awwing noise. Virgil shrunk back a little, and Logan seemed to notice. He opened his mouth to say something, but Patton interrupted.

"That's alright! Sorry, we haven't really been around people besides each other for a bit!" He laughed, and she smiled. Even though Patton didn't seem to love the way the other people were acting in the tavern, there was a coolness to the whole thing that made Virgil pause a little. Almost infectious confidence.

"Oh, honestly, don't worry about it. I take it you're travelers, then?" She smiled at the group, and Patton nodded.

"Yeah! We've been on the road for maybe... a week? Right, Logan?" Logan paused, seeming to actually think about it.

"I will have to admit, I'm not sure. It most likely has been somewhere around two weeks." Patton nodded, but Virgil started to worry again. Didn't they have to get Patton home before a month had passed? He bit his lip, shifting a little. Maybe, if they had time, he could practice his teleportation ability to the extent where he could bring someone else with him. Maybe he could bring the whole group home quickly instead of having them walk all the way back.

"Yeah! That long! Time flies when you're having fun!" Patton laughed a charming and simple laugh that pulled Virgil out of his funk. He would talk to the group about it later, there was no need to panic. They weren't in any danger.

"Analiese!" The drunk man called again, this time a little more annoyed.

"Go home, Boris!" She yelled back, before turning to the group again. "Well, that's wonderful. We have rooms here, if you're thinking about staying, two right next to each other, or one really big one if that'd suit you better?" Virgil got the feeling that she was really asking something else, though he didn't know what it was.

"Two rooms next to each other would be more than suitable." Logan nodded to Patton.

"Excellent! Now, do you have horses you need to be tied up, or do you want meals included in the price?" She grinned. "Sometimes it's more expensive to pay for the meals individually."

"No horses, but meals included would be wonderful!" Patton grinned.

"Ana!" Boris was now stumbling over to the counter. "Darling, sugar, baby girl, sweetheart, babe, please? One more round." She rolled her eyes.

"With what money?" Boris's eyes glinted with mischief for just a moment, but Virgil recognized that look. The one that Janus used to get when he would drag Virgil out to steal something and he hadn't told him. The look of excitement and terror and chaos. He didn't like that look.

"I know a way I could pay..." He gave her a wink and she shuddered.

"And what would I be getting out of that transaction?" She waved him off. "Go home, Boris." He grumbled.

"I bet you'd give your boyfriend free drinks." He folded his arms.

"I wouldn't, but my girlfriend would probably kick your ass for looking at me the way you just did. Go home." She put her hand down, and he turned but looked to the group of four. 

"What are you looking at?" Virgil shrunk back. The smell of alcohol was strong, and he was slurring his words a little. Logan rolled his eyes, obviously not impressed.

"Someone who clearly doesn't know when to stop," Logan muttered, and the man's disappointed and reluctant face became enraged.

"What did you say to me, kid?" He roared, and the bar almost went fully silent.

"I-" But the man didn't wait for Logan to respond, instead, reaching out and grabbing him by his collar, lifting him in the air. A few people around started chanting fight, before they looked and saw that Logan was, most defiantly, someone much younger and weaker than Boris.

"What did you say to me?" He shook Logan a little, and Logan struggled, trying to push the man's hand away. Virgil watched Patton's eyes turn yellow for a second, before blinking it away. Virgil wanted, no, he needed to do something, anything to help, but doing so would show people the power the group possesses, and that would make everything so much worse. 

"I asked you a question, creep." Boris snarled, and Logan made a noise that was a mix of surprise and a whimper. Virgil was about to cut in, do anything to get Logan out of that situation, before Roman pushed Virgil and Patton behind him, his face murderous. 

"Let him go!" Virgil expected Roman to crumble under Boris's gaze, or at least to hear his voice crack, but there was nothing but pure rage. Boris also didn't back down, looking at him as if he were an ant he needed to clean off his shoe.

"Yeah? And who are you?" Boris growled. There was a pause, and Virgil braced himself. He almost teleported to Logan, and tried to get him out, he really did, but then Roman said something that surprised everyone, including, it seemed, himself.

"I am the Crown Prince, Roman of the Kingdom Of Sanders, and you will put my companion down now, or risk the dungeons and worse!" Roman bellowed, and this time, all talking in the tavern ceased. The silence that fell over the group was dangerous. Even Logan had stopped struggling in Boris's grip. Very slowly, Boris put Logan down and bowed his head. Logan quickly adjusted his shirt, stepping back behind Roman.

"My apologies, your majesty. I didn't recognize you." There was no guilt in his voice, no grief, just rage. Anger and frustration and hatred. Virgil winced.

"You have threatened, and physically assaulted one of my close friends and made the barkeep uncomfortable after she asked you to leave multiple times. You will apologize and leave us." When Boris didn't move or say anything, Roman took a step forward, hand on the hilt of a sword that didn't actually exist, but Boris seemed to understand the idea. 

"Now." It was an order mixed with a growl, the threat apparent. Boris shot one last look to Logan, mumbling the word sorry, and Logan shrunk back. It was one of the first times that Virgil had seen Logan visibly shaken, and even though he didn't look frightened, Virgil could tell that this entire thing was uncomfortable. Boris shifted his gaze to Roman, who took another half step forward, and the larger man scampered like a wounded animal out of the tavern.

Virgil was shaking. This was too much for him to handle. He felt out for Patton's hand, and Patton quickly put an arm around him, hugging him to his side. It was all too much. He needed to get out of there. He needed to leave and-

He felt the magic growing in his stomach, the idea that he could, very well, just teleport somewhere else. Somewhere safe. But nowhere was safe. He shook his head a little. That wasn't true, there were safe places. Just none of those safe places had Patton's arm around him, or Logan adjusting his shirt, placing a hand on Roman's shoulder, and his other hand on Virgil's, or had Roman realizing what he had just announced, and blushing red, looking away.

"Your highness!" Analiese bent low, bowing. "I'm so sorry, I-"

"Don't, please." Roman held up a hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, I just... ugh." He quickly put his head in his hands. 

"Roman, uh... he didn't really want to blow our cover." Patton laughed awkwardly, glancing back to the tavern. They had gone back to their conversations, but they were more hushed now, and there were eyes on them. Virgil didn't mean to whimper into Patton's shoulder, but he did, and Logan's hand tightened around his own. He loved the way that they just knew. They cared. They wanted to keep him safe and protect him. There was another flash of lightning, which wasn't helping anything, but for the first time really during a storm that he felt... safe. That feeling was offputting.

"Oh?" Her eyes widened. "Is this one of those 'undercover royal' things?" Roman paused, before nodding slowly. "Oh, that's amazing! I've always wanted to be in one of those! I promise not to tell anyone else about this so you can get an honest feel for what the world's like!" She grinned, before continuing. "The rooms and meals will be on the house though."

"Please, don't treat us differently because-" Roman started, but she held up a hand, shaking her head.

"Oh, not because of that. You scared off Boris, not many can do that! The rooms are free because of that." Virgil could tell it was a lie. Of course, it was a lie, only a moron couldn't tell she was lying. But Roman either was a moron or didn't want to call her out on it, because he didn't protest. 

"Your rooms are just upstairs, three doors down. Here are your keys," She pulled them out and handed them to Logan, who had his hand outstretched. "And I'm so sorry about Boris. He's rarely in here, and he's normally a very nice and polite person. It's just when you give him too much to drink..." She shook her head. "He either won't be in here by the time you leave or won't remember any of it. Feel free to come down if you need something!" The group all nodded, and Logan led them up the stairs to one of the rooms.

"Logan, are you alright?" Was the first thing Roman said as they piled into the surprisingly large room. 

"I appear to be fine." Logan smoothed out his shirt, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "It... it was a little unnerving, but there was no actual damage done." He looked to Virgil. "Are you alright, Virgil? You look as if someone just punched you in the face." Virgil sat on the bed, closing his eyes tightly.

"It's... it's a lot. That happened today. And... I'm..." He cursed himself for not knowing the right word to explain it all. Words themselves were hard to get out at the moment, and the others seemed to understand.

"Overwhelmed?" Virgil nodded at Logan's suggestion, and Logan looked to Roman and Patton.

"Can we help?" Patton asked, moving a little closer to the bed, and Virgil nodded again.

"How can we help you, Virgil?" Logan moved to sit next to Virgil and started running a hand through his hair. It was careful and questioning, but Virgil sighed, leaning into it.

"I... I..." He didn't know what else to say, but the other two seemed to understand. They took off their shoes and coats, moving onto the bed next to Virgil. Roman put a hand on his hoodie, and Virgil shrugged it off. Logan looked like he was about to say something, but Roman hung it up on the bedpost, letting it dry out. Virgil didn't notice his tattoo was showing, and even if he did, he didn't really have the focus to care.

They stayed like that for a few moments, maybe hours, Virgil lost track of time in the comfort and calm. Even Darius was quiet, as Logan ran his hand through his hair, Patton rubbed his arm, and Roman's hands were rubbing circles into his back. They knew what he needed without him even having to talk about it. His heart swelled in his chest, and for the first time in a while, Darius said something.

'You're in love with them, aren't you.' It was less of a question and more of a statement, and Virgil realized he was. He loved them.

He was going to have to deal with that later.


	24. The Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: IMPORTANT, THIS CHAPTER HAS A TON. Let's see... this gets a little more into the spicy stuff in the beginning, but honestly, it's only for a bit and then there's an interruption. The second half of the chapter, mentions deadnames, someone learning about a deadname instead of an actual name, reflections on the past, not taking care of yourself, and then a major one for fainting at the very end. Be safe everyone, please take care of yourselves, I used some of my own experience from when I actually fell a while ago, so this is what I remember.

It was later in the evening when Virgil seemed to have calmed down enough so the group could talk. It was surprisingly nice, just sitting there. Logan had needed it too. Though he had told the others he wasn't hurt, and he wasn't, not physically, but he was still a little shaken. His father had never restricted him from going to certain places, even so, he never went to places that were notorious for violent people or drunks. It was all very surprising, and he had to remember to hold his tongue in certain, more rowdy, places.

The group had agreed to stay in the tavern for the night, but they wanted to leave the next morning, which Logan was thankful for. They were running short on time, and they were so close to getting to the witch's, as Roman would call it, evil lair.

Roman and Logan split off, Patton and Virgil staying in the room they started in, and the pair of boyfriends going to the room next to them.

"You deflected the question." So Roman had noticed. "Are you alright?" Roman closed the door behind them, and Logan relaxed a little. It was just them, now.

"I... I wasn't expecting that, of course, but... I'm fine. I promise." Roman smiled. "You defended me." He also hadn't been expecting that. He had expected someone to interrupt, but he thought that it would be more like a fight would break out. The fact that Roman had unmasked himself for Logan... it was sweet. Besides the fact that he had an air of confidence, that was more than intriguing.

"That I did." Roman blushed a little, looking away. "I'm sorry if I-" He was cut off by Logan pinning him to the wall and kissing him. Roman melted instantly, and Logan smirked. He liked the feeling of being in control, and from what it seemed, Roman liked being controlled.

"What were you about to say?" Logan could tell Roman knew he was teasing, he knew what Roman was about to say, but Logan feigned innocence as he moved to kiss down Roman's neck. He groaned softly.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't-" Roman cut himself off with a yelp as Logan bit at his neck softly. Not enough to leave a mark, but enough so that Roman could feel it. 

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Roman." Logan's voice was calmer than he felt, and he nipped at Roman's neck again. "You defended me. And I think, for that, you deserve a reward, don't you, pretty boy?" Roman made a soft whining noise and nodded. Logan smirked. "Words, Roman."

"Y-Yes, please," Logan pulled away, giving Roman a look, and Roman quickly added "Sir."

They hadn't talked about this yet. Logan didn't want to pressure Roman into anything, that included nicknames, but the name sent a shiver down Logan's spine. He grabbed Roman's hands and gently pushed him onto the bed, kissing him again.

"What do you want, Roman?" Roman blinked up at him, breathless.

"You, Logan, please." He managed to get out, and Logan smiled.

"You have me, Roman." He kissed him again, less heat and passion, and more love. Sweetness. Comfort. Roman was obviously enjoying himself, pushing up against Logan. His hands went to Logan's back, and Logan smiled. Roman was testing him, he knew that much. Logan caught Roman's wrists with his hands and pinned them next to his head. Roman whined a little, pushing against where Logan was holding him down, but not enough so he would break out. Logan hoped he wasn't reading Roman wrong, but Roman seemed to notice his hesitation.

"I'm okay, I like it, Logan, please?" Logan smiled and leaned down to kiss him again, this time a little more heated. They stayed like this for a while, lying on the bed, making out. At some point, one of Logan's hands had loosened the ties on Roman's shirt and had pulled it off of his shoulders.

"Hey, Logan, I was-" It took a few moments for Logan to process what was happening, as the door opened. They had forgotten to lock it, hadn't they? Virgil was standing in the doorway, eyes wide, watching the pair of them, Logan on top of Roman, holding him down, and Roman with a few more visible marks on his chest. All three froze in place, Virgil's hand still on the doorknob, Roman's chest rising and falling, and Logan suddenly very worried. They just stayed there for a few moments, watching each other.

"Do you want to join us, hot topic?" Roman's voice was deeper than before, and he winked at Virgil. Virgil blinked a few times before blushing beet red, turning around, and closing the door a little louder than what was probably necessary.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He screeched quickly, and they heard footsteps leaving the door. Logan sat up, still straddling Roman's waist.

"Roman-"

"Gods, Logan, I... I panicked, I didn't... I just..." Roman, sat upon his elbows, closing his eyes and leaning back. Logan bit his lip before he started laughing. "What's so funny?" Logan shook his head, getting off of Roman and going over to quickly make sure the door was shut and now locked.

"You are." He said, honestly. "I... I suppose we should tell Patton about us, now." Roman winced.

"Oh, uh... Patton already knows?" Logan gave Roman a questioning look. "He figured it out on his own. Apparently, when he was a wolf, we smell like each other." Logan took a deep breath.

"Well, I suppose our secret is out." Roman smiled a little. "Now..." He trailed off, and Roman groaned, positioning himself on the bed so he was sitting up.

"I knew you would want to talk about that." He smiled a little, and Logan blushed.

"We... we don't have to if you don't want to-" Roman's eyes widened as he shook his head quickly.

"Logan, that wasn't what I meant at all! I love how careful you are." He reached out a hand and Logan carefully joined him on the bed.

"Are... are you sure? I can come off as overbearing and it can be annoying to people if I'm always checking in on the-" Logan was cut off by Roman kissing him softly.

"I don't find it annoying at all. It's better to be careful than to cross a line we didn't realize existed." Roman put an arm around Logan. He didn't mention that he would practically do anything if it would make Logan feel more at ease. "Now, what was your question?"

"Would... would that be something you would be interested in?" Logan's voice was quiet, almost hopeful.

"What do you mean?" Roman tilted his head so he was facing Logan.

"Asking one of the others to join us, would that be something you're interested in?" Roman froze, and Logan panicked. "I wouldn't blame you if it was, and I'm not accusing you of anything I just-"

"Logan!" Roman brushed some of Logan's hair out of his face. "You're starting to act like Virgil, calm down. It's alright." He took a deep breath. "It depends on what exactly you are asking. Asking one of them to join us in making out? I mean... it's not a completely unattractive idea, but... it might be a little more awkward. Joining us in our relationship?" Logan hadn't even thought of that yet. He had just assumed that you had to date one person at a time. But the girl downstairs had obviously assumed they were all dating, so it couldn't be too taboo, could it?

"What do you think?" Logan shifted a little closer.

"I... I wouldn't be opposed to the idea." Roman admitted, and Logan smiled, relaxing a little. "I'm assuming you wouldn't either?" Logan looked away.

"I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought of them like that before. I'm not sure how interested they might be in us, however." Roman laughed at that.

"Virgil has a huge crush on you, and you can't tell me you haven't noticed." Logan scoffed. That couldn't be true.

"Falsehood, he is enamored with you. It's odd that you haven't noticed the way he looks at you." Logan turned to see Roman better. Roman scoffed.

"He asked you to teach him how to read!" Roman pointed out, but Logan wasn't going to back down.

"And Patton asked you to cook with him." Roman rolled his eyes.

"He likes making people food! And apparently, he has a crush on Virgil! Though he was acting weird around me after I pointed it out." Roman noted.

"Do you think Virgil reciprocates?" Logan didn't mean to lean forward, but he did. If Virgil was interested in Patton, and also interested in Roman, there might actually be a chance that Virgil was interested in him, as well.

"I'm not sure, but they always room together, and Virgil seems really comfortable with us, so maybe?" Roman shifted. "So... you like Virgil and Patton too."

"Yes. I do." Logan shifted. "And you... you wouldn't mind asking them to join us in our relationship?" Roman laughed.

"Mind? I'd prefer it, honestly." He realized what he'd said and backpedaled. "You're amazing, Logan. And I wouldn't give you up for the world." Logan glanced away before Roman could see his blush, but Roman caught it anyway. "I l-" Logan caught the moment Roman realized what he was about to say, and changed the word. "Like you, a lot." There was a moment where Logan didn't say anything.

"I cannot say I love you, not yet." Roman's eyes widened.

"No, Logan, I didn't mean- I don't want to rush you at all-" Logan held up a hand, shaking his head.

"I know, Roman. I know you would never." Logan smiles, putting his hand on Roman's. "I have been in a few relationships. One of them was before I transitioned, and when I told them, they told me they would never be in love with a boy. The second was with a girl who I honestly had no interest in, but she liked me, so I went on a few dates. We both decided it didn't work out in the end and split up without any real struggle or hard feelings between us. In both of those relationships, however, we moved a little too quickly for me to fully be comfortable." Roman's hand clenched.

"I'll kill them." His words were joking, but his tone was serious. Logan laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Please do not, I don't think that killing an innocent is something a prince should do." Logan shifted a little closer. "What I mean to say is this. I like the pace we are going now. I don't want to go any faster. Honestly, some days I'm afraid I'll wake up and this all will be a dream." He cupped Roman's face with his hands, and Roman grinned.

"A nice dream, though?" Logan nodded.

"One of the nicest I would have had in a while." He leaned forward, not enough to kiss Roman yet, just enough so their foreheads were touching. "I care greatly about you, but saying I love you is a sacred thing in my family. My fathers didn't say it until they were married. I want to be with you, Roman. No matter what. And I don't mind if you say it to me, as long as you don't mind me not saying it back. Not yet." Roman nodded quickly.

"I love you, Logan." It was a whisper of a statement, and Logan's heart swelled. The words sounded true, more true than when anyone else had said them. "And I don't care how long it takes you to say it back because until then, I will make it my job to let you know how much I love you every day."

Neither was sure who was the one to surge forward and kiss the other. They just knew that they were there, kissing on the bed, in a comfortable haze of love and knowledge and safety.

They were safe.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Logan was sitting in his kitchen. His legs were too short to reach the floor yet, his dad had helped him into the chair. He was stirring something, a batch of cookies his dad had poured way too many chocolate chips into.

Speaking of his dad.

Christopher Sanders was smiling down at Logan before he ran a hand through his hair. It was distinctly longer than Logan could remember. He knew he was dreaming. He wasn't that young when his dad left, in reality, he was a teenager, but he had felt so small after he had gone. He braced himself for the knock at the door.

"I'll get that, don't worry, berry." His dad kissed the top of his head before going over to the door and opening it. He was handed a letter by someone Logan couldn't see, and he closed the door.

"Who is it?" Logan tilted his head.

"Your Aunt, Patrisha." His dad sounded confused as he opened the letter, reading through it. He mouthed a few words that Logan didn't know before the envelope fell to the ground.

"Dad?" Logan was concerned now, stopping his stirring, and hopping off the chair. "What's wrong?"

"It..." His dad shook his head, putting on a forced smile. "It's nothing, Lola. I'm going to go upstairs and talk to your dad, okay? You stay here, and keep stirring." Logan winced but nodded. He watched his dad go up the stairs, and soft conversation, before it got louder. He covered his ears. It always happened like this he just had to wait for...

Knock knock knock.

There it was. The door's knocking. Logan knew better than to ignore it. He made that mistake the first few times he had the dream. It would keep going, the fighting getting louder. It was easier to just get it over with, open the door, and wake up. He couldn't get to his father's. 

Even though he was small, which of course wasn't accurate, but the mind will warp memories, he managed to reach the door handle. He closed his eyes, waiting for the gasping of air, to sit up in bed in the dark. But that wasn't at all what he felt.

Instead, standing in the doorway, was Esseray. The witch. Logan took a few steps back, and he was at his full height, hair in place.

"Lola? That's your name, isn't it?" The woman's voice whispered in his ear. "You love your father, don't you? And your friends?" Logan was frozen in fear, he couldn't say anything. A whimper was pulled from his throat, but the woman in front of him laughed as the dream around him disappeared. The fighting of his parents faded until it was just him and Esseray in a black void.

"Oh, don't worry, little berry. We'll see you soon enough." Esseray turned, and he thought she would leave him there, but in one, swift motion, she reached her arm back and punched him in the stomach. For a split second, he thought he saw his dad standing behind her, watching with wide, tearful eyes. He looked worse for wear, hurt and afraid, calling out someone else's name.

He gasped awake in bed, tears streaming down his face. He took a few moments to remember how to breathe. It was just a bad dream. Nothing but a bad dream. But it had felt so real. His dad was right there, right before he left. He had taken the letter with him, but it must have said something important for his dad to leave all at once. He barely even packed, which was very unlike him. Despite coming off as impulsive and silly, he barely did anything without some sort of plan.

Logan looked over to see Roman sleeping peacefully. He was blurry, of course, Logan hadn't put on his glasses, but he hadn't seemed to stir the royal with his nightmare. Logan put on his glasses, quickly putting on a better shirt, before making his way downstairs.

After learning that it was almost one in the morning, he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. He rarely could, after that particular dream, so when the boy at the counter had offered the basement as a safe place to relax and read, since going out at night seemed like a horrid idea, Logan accepted.

That was where the other three found him the next morning, curled up in a corner with a spectral book in his hands about dreams.

"Logan?" Roman had obviously been worried, and Logan flinched. He should have told Roman where he was going. That was irresponsible of him. Roman had just told him that he loved Logan, why had Logan gone and ruined it? "You're okay!" Relief flooded Roman as guilt filled Logan.

"I am, my apologies. I... I had a particularly bad dream, and it wasn't too long ago, so I decided to come down and read." Logan waved his hand and the book disappeared.

"You alright, Lo?" Virgil rubbed the back of his neck. Logan nodded, blinking a few times. 

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Have you eaten yet?" He changed the subject. He was feeling strange. Did it have to do with the dream last night? He didn't want to disclose any of that information to them yet. It was far too personal.

"We didn't, we wanted to wait for you." Logan waved a hand.

"I already ate." Why had he lied? He wasn't hungry, not anymore. An hour ago he might have been, but it went away after a while, so it must not have been dire.

"Oh, alright. We should get on the road in a bit, then?" Patton grinned. Logan just nodded, getting up slowly. The vision faded from his eyes for a little longer than usual, but he thought nothing of it, and they made their way upstairs. 

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Everything was fine up until lunch. They didn't see anyone following them, and Logan was a little more snippy than normal, but the others thought it might just be a bad day. They each had had their own moments during their time together, so it was nothing that they didn't know how to handle. 

They sat to eat lunch. Once again, Logan wasn't hungry. He put his portion of food, a sandwich, into his bag while Patton wasn't looking. He didn't want to get sick in the middle of walking. But when he got up, he got up too fast. His vision faded as it sometimes did, so he waited for a few moments.

It didn't come back.

"Logan? Are you..." Roman's voice faded and was replaced with static. He couldn't hear or see. This was new. And Logan wasn't so sure he liked it. 

"R-Roman?" Was the only thing Logan was able to speak out, and he reached out a hand. The last thing he felt was Roman's hand on his, tightly squeezing before Logan lost feeling in his arms. 

Logan collapsed.


	25. The Couple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Not a ton in this chapter, aftermath of fainting, strange new friends, mentions of fires and dead people, and a whole bunch of cute comfort. Also, Patton loves to cook, and Logan loves Loganberries, and I actually did research for this chapter!

Logan didn't wake up so much as fade back into existence. Everything around him was a little fuzzy, and that was beside the fact that now, he wasn't wearing his glasses. His eyes were open now, he didn't remember opening them, and he was looking up at the ceiling.

A ceiling?

Logan looked around. Was he still dreaming? Had he died? He hoped he hadn't, Roman would never forgive him for that. The room looked respectable at least, if not a little old fashioned. The walls were covered with a floral pattern wallpaper that wasn't really an attack on the eyes, but it was getting there. The bed he was laying in wasn't horrible either, functional of course, but not particularly pretty. The pattern was green with vines crisscrossing, the occasional rose peeking through.

Next to the bed, there was a large chair, and inside of the chair was an old woman knitting something. She wasn't small by any means, but the chair dwarfed her so she looked almost tiny. Her white hair was in curls around her head, and she had a pair of glasses on her nose. She looked up, as if she could feel Logan's eyes on her, and smiled at him.

"Well, it's nice to see you up, dear." Her voice was kind, but Logan didn't trust it. He blinked a few times, and she seemed to soften. "You must be frightened, don't worry. Your boyfriends are downstairs, they were so worried about you! Gerald managed to get them to calm down a little, even enough to let me watch over you." Logan's mind tried to take hold of the words and put meaning to them but failed. He just kept replaying the word Boyfriends. Had he hit his head? Was he forgetting something? "Would you like to sit up, dear?" Logan cleared his throat.

"Um... yes." He didn't know what else to say, but she just smiled at him, reaching out a hand to help him sit up. His head was swimming, and he rubbed his eyes.

"There we go. Now, we have some food all ready for you, your blue friend was very emphatic about making your food. He seemed so happy when I told him he could use the kitchen." The woman handed Logan his glasses. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." He didn't have the energy to lie. "Fuzzy, for lack of a better word... even with my glasses everything seems hazy." The woman smiled and nodded as if she understood. "What... what is going on?" Her eyes widened and she laughed.

"Oh, silly me." She reached over to the table that was pressed against a wall and handed him a bowl of something that looked like oatmeal, and a glass of milk. "Here, I'll tell you everything, but you should eat something. The other one with glasses made this, he said you might not trust it if it came from me." She didn't sound like she took offense, but guilt still curled in Logan's gut. He carefully took the food and glass from her, hoping to not spill anything on the comforter.

"Here's what they told me, though after you eat, I'll call them up so they can talk to you." She adjusted herself on the chair, still smiling sweetly at him. "You stopped for lunch, but then you seemed to get up too fast. The red one said that you called out his name before falling, and they were lucky you did, it gave him enough time to catch you. They ran to the nearest house on their way, which happened to be ours. You've been unconscious for about twenty minutes." Logan took a deep breath, taking a sip of milk.

"Okay... and they're downstairs?" She nodded, and Logan started to push off the blankets. She quickly held out a hand.

"Oh, dear, no. Stay here. I'll go get them for you, don't worry. You shouldn't get up until you finish that bowl and that glass, alright?" Logan paused before nodding. She smiled. "Alright, I'll be right back. If you need me, just call for Miriam." Logan nodded again, and she exited the room.

The living room was similarly decorated to the bedroom. A floral patterned rug, a green couch, and a few tables made of some sort of light wood. Roman and Virgil were sitting on the couch, Virgil rotating between fidgeting on his side of the couch, moving closer to Roman, and then seeming to overthink something, and move back to fidgeting. Roman didn't seem to notice, if he had, he would have quickly scooped Virgil into his arms. But Roman's eyes darted over to Gerald, then back to the doorway Miriam had disappeared into to go watch Logan. Patton, on the other hand, was pacing. 

"Maybe I should go in too, he might freak out if one of us isn't there-" Gerald held up a hand.

"Hey, it's okay. He's gonna be fine, he just fainted. Once he wakes up and we get some food in him, he'll be back to normal, I promise." Patton still wasn't convinced.

"We should have noticed! He... he wasn't doing well, and I should have noticed and gotten him to eat more, and I didn't, and this is all my fault!" 

"Patton, it's not." Virgil's voice was small. "It's mine, I wasn't... I should have... he..." Roman waved his hands.

"It's my fault! I should have been watching him, I wasn't, he's my boyfriend!" Patton bit his lip, and couldn't help a quick look at Gerald.

"Well, he's mine too." It wasn't the truth, but when the pair had assumed they were all together, the group was too scared for Logan to notice or correct them. Even though it wasn't true, the words caused a thrill that Patton couldn't help.

"We all should have been taking care of him." Virgil's voice was small. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't do my part."

"Alright, all of you, stop." Gerald stood up slowly, holding up his hands. "Sit here, okay?" He gently guided Patton to the chair. Patton reluctantly sat down. "It's no one's fault but your boyfriend's, alright? You all can help and whatnot, but in reality, he should be the one in charge of taking care of himself. All we can do is support him as much as we can." He was right of course. But Patton was still feeling horribly guilty.

"He's awake, dears. But be careful with him, he seems a little dazed." Miriam was standing in the doorway, and she smiled at the group. "Would you like alone time, or would you prefer it if I came with you?" Patton got up quickly, before looking to the other two.

"Alone time just for a bit might be nice?" Miriam smiled. 

"Of course. Go in there, and make sure he eats that oatmeal." Patton nodded, and the other two quickly got up. They didn't really run to the room, but they certainly hustled, and almost slammed the door open.

Logan was sitting there, looking at the food in his lap with concentration, as if he could consume it just by focusing. He looked completely lost in thought. He didn't seem to have noticed the change of his clothing, Roman had taken off most of his layers including the ascot, or if he had noticed, he didn't care. He looked up to the group as if they had pulled him out of his thoughts, and they just looked at each other for a few moments before Logan gave them a soft, weak smile.

Patton broke first, running into the room and throwing his arms around Logan. Roman wasn't far behind, rushing to the other side of the bed and leaning over it. Virgil took the foot of the bed, a little more relaxed than before. 

"You're okay, you're okay!" Patton was muttering under his breath as he squeezed Logan. Logan nodded, taking a few deep breaths as if to keep himself from crying. Patton pulled away quickly, smoothing out his hair and checking his forehead. "Are you feeling alright? What happened? Logan, don't ever scare us like that again!" Logan laughed softly.

"I'm... I wouldn't say it was alright, but I am feeling better, I believe I overexerted myself and didn't give myself the sustenance necessary to continue the way I was, and I promise I won't let this happen again." He took another sip of milk, and Patton noticed that some of the oatmeal was gone too. He had found these strange blackberries that he had asked Miriam about. She had called them Loganberries, and so he added them. Anything that shared Logan's name couldn't be bad, could it?

"You better not." Roman folded his arms before glancing between the other two companions and quickly leaning forward to kiss Logan's cheek. There was a twist of jealousy in Patton's stomach, but he ignored it. He didn't need to start this, not now. Virgil didn't seem to outwardly react, but he did shift a little closer to Patton. "You terrified us, Lo!" Logan winced.

"I apologize profusely for that. I didn't mean to scare anyone." He looked back at the bowl. "I tend to not eat very much, but I found the amount that I could eat without causing any actual damage. I hadn't thought of adjusting that number in accordance with the amount of sleep we were getting, and how much physical activity we got done within a day. I suppose the magical energy also had something to do with it." Patton's eyes widened, and he was about to say something, but Virgil cut in.

"Logan, food isn't something to bargain with. Eating too much is bad, sure, but if you eat the bare minimum, you can't possibly feel good, can you?" Logan paused before shaking his head.

For possibly the first time, Patton noticed how skinny Logan was. He didn't look unhealthy at first glance, but, despite having some muscles that were starting to form probably because of the way they had been continuing, he seemed to be mainly skin and bones. Logan didn't wear anything particularly tight, but with the loose shirt, Patton could see his collarbone fairly clearly. 

"Logan... why don't you like eating?" Logan let out a puff of air, almost like a laugh.

"I am not fully sure. It's never been something I've enjoyed." Patton hummed softly.

"Well, I can teach you how to make some other foods, if you want? I've been teaching Roman to cook, maybe we could do group lessons?" Logan smiled softly.

"That... that would be nice." Patton felt a surge of pride.

"Good. We can do it over the week we're staying here." Logan blinked a few times.

"Excuse me? We cannot stay, Patton. We have to go. If we stay for a week, your father will be home, and you will be in trouble."

"Miriam offered. She told us that she was lonely and having people to take care of would be good for her. And, to be honest, I don't think we could get back in time for me not to be in trouble." Patton folded his arms. "We're staying. Maybe not for a week, but we are staying until you're better."

"I'm not sick!" Logan argued.

"Then it shouldn't take long, should it?" Logan seemed to realize Patton wasn't going to budge on this topic. He sighed. "Now finish your food so we can go and talk to them. They're nice people, I think you'll like them." Logan looked down and nodded, taking a few more bites of his food. Patton noticed that he ate the Loganberries first. He smiled a little. That was going to be useful information.

Roman helped Logan stand up, and then quickly ushered the other two out, saying that he wanted to help Logan get ready to go downstairs and talk to the other two. As the door closed, Patton turned to Virgil and held out a hand. Virgil looked relieved and clung to Patton like a koala.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" He let the pet name slip a little, but Virgil didn't seem to notice.

"I... I thought something was gonna happen. I was... I just... it's gonna take me a bit to come down from this." Patton nodded, brushing a hand through his hair.

"You can always come to me if you need anything, right? I'm here for you. Always." Virgil nodded into Patton's shoulder, and Patton smiled. "Good. I-" He realized he was about to confess, say I love you without meaning too, but he was saved from finishing that sentence when the door opened. Roman and Logan were standing there, Roman's hand around Logan's waist, which he obviously wasn't particularly pleased about, but Roman didn't seem to care. Logan was back to being put together, his ascot in place, and tighter layers hugging his torso, making him look healthier than he had seemed when he was lying in the bed. Patton knew better than to trust that now, though.

"Well, it looks like we both have a beautiful boy in our arms, Patton!" Virgil blushed and mumbled something Patton didn't quite catch. Patton grinned.

"I guess we do! Lead the way!" Logan held up a hand.

"Wait, I wanted to ask something, I nearly forgot." Patton nodded quickly. "She... she called you my... well our... and..." Logan seemed at a loss for words, and Patton giggled.

"Boyfriends?" Logan nodded. "So, we think she said something about us all dating when we were really worried that you had died? So we didn't really catch it, and then after, it was too awkward to correct her." Logan seemed to both relax and deflate at the same time.

"Oh." He took a deep breath. "Excellent. And, what do they know about us?" He said this quieter as if expecting someone to be listening in, and Patton shrugged.

"They know that we're travelers, and they know our names. All of our real names. They don't know about Roman, or about me being... well... and they know our parents are back in the Kingdom Of Sides." Logan nodded.

"Alright. I'm ready now, thank you." Patton grinned, and the group walked into the living room. Miriam looked up from her knitting with a smile. 

"Hello, dears. Did you finish your food?" The question was directed at Logan, and he nodded.

"Yes, I did. Thank you." She waved him off.

"Oh, thank Patton. He's the one who made everything." Patton blushed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "So I assume that you all have talked on your own enough?" She laughed as if she had told a joke. Roman nodded.

"Yeah! Do you mind if we sit?" Gerald waved his hand to the couch Roman and Virgil had sat on before.

"Go ahead!" They sat, Virgil on one end and Roman on the other so Logan had two people surrounding him. Patton didn't know if this was a conscious effort, but he sat next to Virgil, and Logan took the remaining spot. They weren't squished together, but it was a little tight.

"So, I know I've told this to the other three, but Logan, we would be more than happy to have you four stay here for a little longer. Our children left for the Kingdom Of Sides a while ago, but we've kept their rooms as nice as possible. There's even a connecting door if you want to have late-night sleepovers." Miriam took Gerald's hand.

"And I know that eventually, you would have to get moving, of course, but it would be nice to have someone besides each other to take care of for a little while." Gerald finished. Patton grinned.

"We want to stay. Not forever, maybe a few days!" Roman nodded.

"No more than a week, of course. We do have things to do." Logan continued softly, and Patton grinned.

"Yeah! Maybe a little less than a week." Miriam clapped her hands.

"Oh, lovely. I can show you to your rooms if you'd like! There are only two of them, but we have trundle beds!" Gerald rolled his eyes.

"She loves her trundle beds." The four of them glanced at each other before nodding.

"That sounds wonderful, actually!" Roman announced.

"Great." Gerald smiled at them. "We have a garden out back, that's where we get most of our food since we haven't been to a city in a while. Our kids hated that, especially our little girl, she always wanted to go adventuring. She would spend hours in the garden pretending to fight off vines that she imagined were attacking the bushes." Miriam laughed.

"Oh, but we don't want to bore you with our stories, do we?" She waved a hand. 

"Where are your children now?" Patton asked, almost without thinking. He already liked these two, they seemed kind enough and hadn't minded when he had started to stress cook. Miriam paused. 

"Our son, he's married with three beautiful children, the oldest around your age. But our daughter..." Miriam trailed off.

"There was an accident. A fire. She and her little boy didn't make it out." Gerald gave a sad smile to the group. "But we don't have to talk about that. It was a very long time ago." Virgil tensed next to Patton, and Patton resumed playing with his hair. He seemed to relax a little, which made Patton happy. 

"I'm very sorry for your loss." It was Logan who spoke, shifting. "That must have been difficult."

"It's all in the past now." Miriam waved a hand. "We miss her, of course, but we must live on. That's the nature of things, isn't it?" She smiled. "I can lead you to the rooms, now. You can get set up, and I know we tend to go to sleep early, so you boys can explore everywhere but our room after we decide to go to bed. How does that sound?" Patton grinned.

"Amazing!" This was a home. He could feel it. His house wasn't really a home, it was more of a cage. A box to be placed in so others couldn't find him. This place was lived in and comfortable and warm, not cold and careful like what he was used to. He hoped they could stay here for a while. At least here, he might not get yelled at for wanting to be what he was.


	26. The Outfits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: HUSTON THEY'RE CUTE! A slight allusion to spice at the very end, but nothing crazy. I was reading over this before posting it and even I ended up having a cuteness overload. So this is for all yee fluff lovers.

Surprisingly, everyone slept well that night. The rooms were comfortable, and there really was no need for the trundle beds. Logan and Roman ended up falling asleep on the opposite sides of the bed but woke up with Roman's arm over Logan's waist. Roman wondered if Logan was awake, and if he was, would he mind? Would he care? He hoped he wouldn't, but it was always possible that something like this could make him uncomfortable. But as Roman started to untangle his arm from Logan's waist, Logan's hand tightened, as if asking him not to leave. They stayed like that for a while, both of them awake, but not wanting to break the moment. They might have stayed there forever if Patton hadn't knocked on the connecting door to their room.

"Hey, we're gonna go make pancakes, want to join?" The question was muffled as it was asked through a door. Though, regarding yesterday's conversation, Roman determined it was less of a question and more of an order.

"We'll be right there, Patton." That was how Roman realized Logan was awake. When he just woke up, there was a softness to everything about him. A haziness to his voice that Roman wished he could hear more often. Something a little less than the wise and calculated person he usually was. Instead, he was already put together, careful and intelligent. Roman sighed softly into Logan's hair.

"Does that mean we have to get up?" He whined softly, pulling Logan a little closer. "You're soft and cuddly." He could feel Logan's blush.

"I believe it does, though I wouldn't be offended if you offered to do something like this later again today." Roman grinned, releasing his grip so Logan could turn to look at him.

"What, you don't mind being the little spoon?" He teased, and Logan swatted at him. Roman laughed and handed him his glasses. 

"You mention this to anyone, and it'll be the last thing you do," Roman smirked as Logan got up, walking over to their bags and pulling out a shirt and pants. Roman sat up on the bed, watching him.

"Why? Will you punish me, sir?" Logan choked and turned to Roman with a dangerous look in his eye.

"Patton wants us downstairs to help him with pancakes, so help me, gods, Roman-" Logan's voice was strangled, and Roman grinned.

"Alright, alright." Roman stood up too, stretching. "Do you want me to turn around for you to change, or are you alright?" Logan rolled his eyes with a smile on his lips. Roman had started asking this when they had to change in front of each other after the night with the stars. Logan had to admit, it was more than sweet, and both of them knew that he wasn't really asking if he could watch or not.

He was really asking how the dysphoria was. He was asking if he needed to refrain from reaching around Logan's waist or touching his chest. He was asking if he needed to sometimes talk about Logan like he wasn't there in front of him to see Roman use his pronouns. He was asking how he could help. Logan smiled softly.

"I think I'm alright for today, I'll let you know if anything changes." Roman grinned ear to ear.

"Perfect. Now..." He trailed off and Logan sighed. "You do remember yesterday's deal, right?"

"Unfortunately." Yesterday, Logan had promised that Roman could pick out his outfit tomorrow if he let Logan dress himself after getting out of bed. Roman had hastily agreed to that deal, probably too quickly now that Logan thought about it, but at the time, all Logan had wanted to do was get dressed on his own. Roman grinned, standing up and taking a step toward Logan, his eyes sweeping the other boy up and down. Logan shivered, and Roman took note, taking him by the shoulders gently, and sitting him back on the bed before tearing into his bag.

There was nothing really of note, mostly shirts that were the same style of the one he normally wore, only differing in color slightly, but there were two items Roman found interesting. First of all, was a button-down that seemed pretty standard Logan, but in a beautiful green that Roman hadn't expected, and the second of which looked to be something much more formal, a folded-up suit. For what, Roman wasn't sure, but he pulled out the button down and handed it to Logan. Logan looked at it, slightly confused, but nodded.

"And something else." Logan closed his eyes quickly, and Roman quickly leaned into his own bag and pulled out rainbow suspenders. He had brought them mainly because he hadn't wanted Remus to find them while he was gone. But now was an excellent time to use them, and he put them on top of the shirt Logan was holding. Logan looked at it with a small smile. "Is that good?" Logan nodded a little.

"It is. I can... I can put it on if you want?" Roman nodded with a grin. Logan hesitated, still feeling Roman's eyes on him.

"I want to watch you if that's alright?" Roman relished the way Logan's cheeks turned pink, and he nodded.

"Right." Logan hesitated before pulling his shirt over his head, but after making the move to actually do it, he was able to put on the rest of the outfit fairly quickly. Roman smiled. He looked completely adorable like that, still wearing his ascot, and the rainbow suspenders adding more color to the whole thing. Logan adjusted his glasses, shifting nervously, and Roman had never wanted to kiss him more. "Acceptable?"

"You look amazing." Roman grinned, snaking his arm around Logan's waist. "Let's go."

Downstairs, Patton was already in the kitchen with Miriam. Virgil was sitting at the table. He looked up when he saw them enter, and his eyes widened as he saw Logan, quickly turning his eyes back to the part of the wood he was tracing with his finger with a faint tint to his cheeks. Roman grinned.

"Hey, Hot Topic." Roman winked, and Virgil rolled his eyes, but Roman could tell he was smiling.

"Patton's making pancakes." He said quickly, and Patton peeked his head out from the kitchen.

"Yeah! We have chocolate chips for me and Virgil, Logan, do you want loganberries in yours?" Patton wasn't looking at either of them, probably watching the pancakes. Logan nodded.

"Yes, that would be very nice, Patton. Thank you." Roman grinned.

"I'll have some of those too, they sound good!" Logan looked at Roman with confusion.

"Have you ever had loganberries before?" Roman shook his head, pulling Logan's chair out for him. Logan sat down almost without thinking, and Roman grinned to himself, sitting in the chair next to him.

"Not yet, but anything with your name sounds delectable." Virgil looked up at them in surprise, before stifling a laugh into the sleeve of his jacket. Logan obviously didn't get it, nodding.

"They are. We used to have a bush by our house. My father and I-" He stopped himself, shaking his head. "We used to pick berries and make jam together." Virgil looked up at them with a soft smile.

"That sounds nice." Logan nodded.

"It was." Logan shifted a little, and Roman could tell he wanted to change the subject. Luckily, Gerald walked downstairs at that moment looking tired. It wasn't really the fact that he was walking downstairs that made Roman grin from ear to ear, it was the fact that he was wearing a lion onesie. 

"Good morning, kids." He walked over and sat down, yawning. "How's the food coming along, sweetheart?" He called to the kitchen.

"Pancakes are almost done, dear. Do you want loganberries, or do you want chocolate chips?" Gerald grinned.

"Both?" Miriam laughed.

"Exactly what I assumed." She walked out holding three plates. She set one in front of Gerald, and the other two in front of the two empty chairs. "I'm getting yours in a moment, don't you worry, dears." She disappeared into the kitchen and came out holding two plates of pancakes, placing them in front of Logan and Roman. Patton came out holding one and slid it to Virgil.

"There we go!" He grinned, and glanced around the table, before looking at Logan's outfit. "Oh my goodness, Logan, you look so good!" He squealed, clapping his hands. Logan blushed a little and bit into some of his pancakes to hide his face.

"I know, right? I convinced him to let me play dress up. I think it worked beautifully." He winked at Logan who's eyes were fixed to the table, but he was blushing.

"What other outfits do you have?" Patton asked, sitting down, but leaning forward towards Roman. Roman shrugged.

"Honestly, not that much. I didn't really think we'd have a lot of downtimes." Miriam grinned at the group.

"Well, we still have some of our children's things, if you want to go play dress-up?" She laughed. "Sorry, I don't mean to make you all sound like your children, but we have a few outfits and dresses and shirts you could wear? I know there's pretty much nothing to do out here." She looked sympathetic, and Roman grinned.

"I think that sounds absolutely glorious, what do you think, Patton?" Patton grinned.

"I've always wanted to try on a skirt!" Patton clapped his hands.

"Well, excellent! I'll show you the closet after we finish our breakfast." Miriam glanced over to Logan, and he nodded, taking another slightly larger bite of food. Roman noticed that Logan had a larger pancake than really anyone else at the table did, and he glanced to Patton, who bit his lip with an awkward smile. Roman grinned back. This was going to work.

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"Do you mind holding this, dear?" Miriam held out a box of what looked to be old photographs to Virgil. Virgil took them carefully, and she took a larger box of old clothing, handing it to Roman. It was heavier than he expected, but he lifted it as high as he could, not wanting to drop it. She got off of the stool she was standing on, and the group all headed to Patton and Virgil's room, the decidedly cleaner space. In the small amount of time Roman had been in their room, he had managed to put pillows everywhere, and Logan had unpacked some of his books he had wanted to read the night before. Roman set the box on the bed, and Virgil looked inside his own box.

"I can take that now, don't worry." Miriam took hold of the box, and Virgil let her, but his eyes lingered on a few pictures. He looked like he was thinking about something, having some sort of mental conversation that Roman didn't want to interrupt. Roman turned back to the box of clothing and grinned.

"Look at this, Patton!" He pulled out a cream-colored skirt, and Patton grinned from ear to ear.

"That's so cute!" He reached out and grabbed it. The fabric was soft enough on the outside, and it seemed to be even softer on the inside. "Oh my goodness, I might just steal this!" Miriam laughed.

"Take whatever you'd like, none of it fits me anymore, and it certainly doesn't fit our kids. Just have fun! We'll be outside reading." The group of four grinned and nodded as she closed the door. Roman started unpacking the box, laying some of the outfits out on the bed.

"Look, there's a prince costume." Virgil laughed softly, pointing to a comical recreation of one of Roman's outfits. Roman rolled his eyes.

"I remember when those were really popular. Remus and I both thought it was really stupid." Virgil held the costume up to his torso with one hand, putting the other against his forehead.

"My name is Roman and being a prince is so hard! People bow at my feet, how awful!" Roman tried to snatch the costume away, and Virgil pulled back, laughing. It wasn't long until Roman joined in because it was pretty funny. When they both stopped and looked back at the other two, Logan was staring at Patton in a skirt as if it was all he could see, and the other two almost instantly joined in. Patton blushed.

"Is it that bad?" He twirled from side to side a little, and it flared. The paws seemed to be suspenders keeping it up, and it honestly was just such a good look on him. Roman blinked a few times before quickly shaking his head.

"Patton... you look amazing!" Patton blushed a little more, hiding his face.

"You really do, Pat, gods." Virgil quickly realized what he was saying, and pulled back a little. "I mean, you always look good, I just... wow." He took a deep breath. Logan cleared his throat.

"You look incredible." Logan smiled softly and Patton swished from side to side. The others watched the way it never rode up enough to be uncomfortable, but there was a lift to the entire thing that Patton seemed to be enjoying. He looked so... happy. The joy was surprisingly contagious.

"Well, we have to find outfits for you three now too!" He clapped his hands, looking through the outfits that Roman had laid out on the bed. Logan licked his lips quickly, looking at the ground.

"I might not partake today?" He said, almost as if he hadn't wanted to be heard.

"Aw! Why not, kiddo?" Logan shifted.

"I have never enjoyed skirts or dresses, and these outfits tend to be primarily that." Patton nodded, and Roman shifted, really not wanting to make Logan uncomfortable or dysphoric, but also not wanting to leave him out. Virgil reached forward and picked out a lab coat.

"Here you go, nothing crazy, and it can go over your other outfit." Logan blinked a few times, looking from it in Virgil's hands back to Virgil's face. Virgil blushed. "If you don't want to, that's fine, you don't-" Logan shook his head quickly, reaching out and grabbing the coat and Virgil's hands all at once. 

"Thank you, Virgil, that's actually perfect." He smiled, and Virgil relaxed. Logan slipped on the coat over his outfit, and Roman grinned.

"You look like more of a nerd than you already are." He teased, and Logan rolled his eyes. It was true, the coat combined with the glasses gave him a certain air of knowledge, and Roman was clearly susceptible to that sort of thing because the whole ensemble was surprisingly hot. 

"You look like a mad scientist, Logan! It's so cool!" Patton squealed, clapping. Logan smiled softly.

"Thank you." To whom he was addressing, none of them knew.

"Your turn, Virgil!" Roman turned with a huge grin. Virgil shrank back.

"No way."

"Too late, I have decided!" Roman closed his eyes and touched a costume, holding it up. "This one!" He said without opening his eyes, and Patton started snickering.

Roman was holding a bat costume complete with small wings that stuck out the back. It had a hood that you could pull up. The entire costume was obviously meant to be worn on its own, it was a tight bodysuit, but there were almost no legs, and the neckline was a deep V neck that almost went down to where a bellybutton would probably be. Virgil quickly shook his head.

"Nope, nope, nope." He held up his hands. "I'll let you pick out another one, just not that one." Roman grinned.

"I can pick whatever I want?" He held up the small piece of fabric, and Virgil quickly nodded.

"Yes, yes, just... nothing that revealing?" Roman grinned and instantly dove into the pile of costumes before deciding on one, pulling it out. It was a larger pastel purple onesie with demon horns attached to the hood, and a tail where one would be if someone had a tail. Virgil blinked a few times and reached out to grab it.

"A demon costume?" He said, looking to Roman who grinned.

"For our favorite emo." He teased. "I don't think I've seen you wear a spot of color since I met you." Virgil giggled, actually fucking giggled, and Roman thought his heart might stop.

"Sorry, sorry, yeah, you're right." He paused, looking to everyone. "Do I have to change now?"

"Yep!" Roman put his hands on his hips, before realizing what Virgil was probably asking. "Wait, you don't have to change in front of us if you don't want to. Logan, Patton, go into the hall. I'm going to go change in our room! We'll meet back once we let you into the room again!" He quickly shooed the other two out of the room, then turned back to Virgil. 

"Close your eyes!" He did, and Roman quickly dove into the pile of costumes, grabbing the one that he had made a mental note about before. He opened the connecting door, and slipped in, closing it firmly behind him. He put the dress he had grabbed on the bed and grinned. This would be fun.

Virgil finished getting dressed fairly quickly. He opened the door for Logan and Patton to come back in, trying not to show how embarrassed he was to be wearing something so bright. The other two showered him with praises, a little more than they had when they had put on their costumes, which was nice, and sat down waiting for Roman.

"Are you ready?" Roman called and Patton started clapping.

"Come out! We want to see it!" Roman smiled, smoothing out the outfit before opening the door. The entire group's jaws dropped.

Roman was in a floor-length... well, dress wasn't the right word. It was more elegant than that, it was more like a gown, white with yellow and red embroidery at the torso, and the long skirt faded from the plain white to a shimmery gold. The others hadn't noticed the dress in the pile before, it had been covered with other things, but on Roman, all of them couldn't understand how they had missed such beauty. It hugged him in the right places, and he had even incorporated the sash Logan had given him.

"What do you think?" He asked, swishing the skirt. It took a few moments for any of them to even be able to say anything.

"Roman-" Virgil started before stopping himself.

"You look like a princess!" Patton squealed. "Or a prince! Which I guess you are, but still!" He bounced on the bed, seeming to shake Logan out of his trance.

"You look..." Logan shifted a little where he was sitting. "Bewitching." Was the word he seemed to land on, and Roman blushed, doing a little twirl. He watched Logan swallow, quickly looking away, and he smirked.

"I'm keeping it!" He announced, and marched back into the other room, taking the dress off, and carefully folding it so it didn't get dirty.

If that was how Logan reacted to Roman in a dress, well, he would just have to wear dresses more often.


	27. The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Bad nightmares, fire, having a dream about killing someone, Esseray's back peeps, accidental misgendering with the information you have at your fingertips, I'm really self projecting a lot onto Logan, aren't I? XD Evil people being evil in the end.

Virgil was dreaming. He was in his old house which he could still remember clearly, though he was a child at the time. He was in the living room, playing with his toys, and his mom looked at him and smiled before saying something about a surprise and going upstairs. He couldn't recall if this had actually happened or not, most of what had happened that day was a blur. 

As he was waiting for his mom to come back, he looked around, glancing up to see the picture that had always hung above the fireplace. It was one of him and his mother, her holding him in an unknown place, and him holding up a small fist. He allowed himself to bask in the memory before he heard a whisper from a corner of the living room. He crawled towards it quickly, giggling the whole time. 

"Hello, sweetling." It was a calm and gentle, yet far too familiar voice. Virgil couldn't place where he had heard it before, but something was unnerving about the whole thing. "Why don't you show me what you can do?" And Virgil wanted to, badly. He held out a hand to show her the lightning before he heard a voice behind him.

"Virgil?" Darius. He turned quickly and was no longer in his living room. Instead, he was outside the house, and it was in flames. Darius was beside him but looked just as confused.

"What... what's happening? What's going on?" Virgil suddenly had a voice, though it was weak, and reached over, hoping for some contact, some comfort, something.

"You're dreaming, I can tell you that." Darius seemed worried about something as well. "But it isn't a normal dream. Something..." He paused. "Someone is interfering." Virgil closed his eyes, suddenly woozy. When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't in front of the house anymore, he was in front of something else. Somewhere else. There was screaming from three figures in front of him, all on fire.

Logan was the first and Virgil's heart nearly stopped as he watched the smartest person he knew be engulfed in flames, screaming. He was nearly too scared to look to the other figures, but something forced him to.

The next person was Patton, struggling against something, looking to Virgil with tears in his eyes. Smoke sizzled as the fire covered his face, and died out quickly, leaving nothing left. Virgil let out a sob.

Roman was last, his fire burning the brightest as if making it worse by doing absolutely nothing. He looked at Virgil with pain and anger and worst of all hatred. Virgil stepped back, guilt and something else curling in his gut. 

"You did this. You killed them" It was a whispering voice, the same familiarity that he knew from before. 

He did it. He had killed them. He was a threat. He shouldn't even be traveling with them, he just destroyed everything. Panic and guilt and horror built up in his throat. He felt like throwing up. He felt like running or leaving or crying. He should have known better. It would always end like this. With a fire. 

"Virgil, listen to me, this is a bad dream." Darius's voice rang out through the area Virgil stood in.

"What?" He said through tears. He hadn't realized he was crying. 

"None of this is real. This is a bad dream, and you need to wake up." Virgil closed his eyes tightly.

"How do I do that?" He whimpered.

"Wake up, Virgil. Please." And with that, Virgil sat up in bed, panting and crying. He looked over to where Patton was laying, and he stirred.

"Virgil? Is everything alright?" Virgil could only shake his head. "Hang on, hang on, let me get my glasses..." Patton turned to look at Virgil, now with his glasses on. "Oh, Virgil!" He said softly, and Virgil whimpered. "I'm going to get the other two, is that alright?" Virgil paused before nodding. "Okay, okay. Stay right here, okay?" Virgil managed another nod, and Patton got up, quickly moving to the other door.

"Patton?" Roman's tired voice came through the door. "What's wrong?"

"Virgil woke up and he's crying and... and... I don't know what to do, can you two..." Patton didn't even finish the sentence as Roman and Logan both entered quickly, making their way around the bed and to the crying emo.

"Virgil..." Roman's voice was broken, and all of Virgil's safety nets, his caution, and careful reminders that he couldn't have whatever this was, that Logan and Roman belonged to each other, not to him, the separation between himself and the other two since he walked in on them kissing, it all vanished. 

"Please?" Was all he was able to make out before the three were huddled around him. Logan was petting his hair softly, whispering kind and gentle words, Roman was nuzzling his neck softly, almost as if he didn't realize he was doing it, slowly rubbing his arm, and Patton was doing the same on his other side. Virgil whimpered, trying to lean into every sensation at once. It was too nice. He didn't deserve it.

"I... I dreamed... you... I killed... I killed you... you burned..." He managed to get out, and Logan placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Shh, it's okay. We can talk about it in the morning if you wish to, but for now, it's okay. We're here. We aren't leaving." Virgil felt the calmness of the evening fall, the fatigue of the dream, and everything else around him. He had a feeling it was in some part Darius at work, making sure that he was actually getting back to sleep. No matter what it really was, Virgil got to sleep fairly quickly now, and the others weren't far behind, falling asleep in a pile of bodies and comfort.

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Virgil woke up tangled in the arms of the other three. Roman had curled up next to him, his hair falling in front of his face, and he had had Virgil in a loose hug, almost spooning. As Virgil looked up, he saw Logan, still propped up on pillows. Someone had taken off his glasses and put them on the pillow next to him, and he was sleeping softly, the rise and fall of his chest making it so Virgil also slowly rose and fell. Patton was next to Virgil, awake, and watching them. He had his glasses still on and was gently stroking Virgil's arm. He noticed Virgil opening his eyes and smiled.

"Hi." He said it softly. He looked still tired.

"Hi," Virgil whispered back, not able to help the small smile that crept across his face.

"You looked... so peacefully. They still do, but..." Patton let out a soft sigh. "Should we wait for them to get up, or do we want to wake them up?" Virgil blushed.

"I'd feel bad waking them up twice in a row..."

"Good thing you don't have to." Roman's soft voice came, and he rolled over a little more, tightening his grip on Virgil's waist. "Well, maybe Logan, because this seems to be a discussion he would be interested in, but I'm up." They paused for a moment, looking back up at Logan with small smiles on their lips.

'I can wake him up for you naturally if you'd like.' Darius offered, and Virgil thought about it.

"You can do that?" Virgil thought at Darius. Maybe it was the dream last night, the fact that Darius had seemed to save him, pulled him out of his nightmare, but Virgil wasn't so sure that it was a bad idea. Not like he would have been weeks ago.

'I believe I can.' Darius murmured, quiet even in Virgil's head. 'If you would let me?' Virgil paused before nodding a little bit. He could tell Darius smiled, and then was gone. A few moments passed before Logan blinked awake, looking down at the three with a small smile. He reached over and put on his glasses.

"Good morning." His voice was quiet even though there was no one to be quiet for. "I suppose I am the last one awake?"

"Yep!" Roman popped the P. "And I think Virgil wanted to talk about last night?" Virgil nodded.

"Would you like us to adjust or would you like to stay like this?" Logan asked, and Virgil took a deep breath. He had more self-control than this. He could do this.

"I... I think I'd prefer to adjust?" It was a lie. This was nice. This was more than nice. He wanted to stay like this forever. But Logan nodded and lifted his arms so Virgil could sit up. Roman and Patton let go as well, sitting up themselves as Virgil did. Logan joined them soon after. "This... this is fine, I think... if I... if I start to spiral..." He didn't finish his thought, and Patton held out a hand, touching Virgil's knee.

"If you spiral, we'll catch you, I promise, Virge." Virgil felt a little better about the whole thing, and he took a breath.

"The witch was in my dream last night." He confessed. "She showed me things from my memories, and I think tried to use what she found from those memories to show me something that would terrify me. And it kind of worked." Virgil swallowed. "She showed me the fire again, and she showed me... I think she showed me killing you... all of you... and I-" He stopped himself from telling them about Darius. He didn't know why, but he didn't want them knowing about him. Not yet.

"Virgil..." Patton's voice was careful and sweet as he leaned forward. "I'm so sorry!" Virgil shook his head.

"It's fine. It's... it's going to be fine." He looked to the others. "Did... has something like that happened to any of you?" Roman looked to Patton, who shook his head, and Roman did the same. Logan, on the other hand, paused.

"I... I did have a strange dream a few nights ago." Logan murmured, almost more to himself than to anyone else. "And Esseray was there."

"Esseray?" Roman tilted his head.

"The witch. That was what the group said her name was, was it not?" Logan shifted uncomfortably, and Roman nodded.

"Right, right." Roman paused. "Is... is that what happened the night before you fainted?" Logan nodded.

"So she's visiting our dreams." Patton bit his lip. "And playing with our fears?"

"It appears that way," Logan said softly. "We may want to sleep in the same room for the next few nights just to make sure that if something happens, we are there to comfort each other when we wake up?" Patton nodded.

"That sounds good?" He looked at Virgil, who blushed.

"I mean, falling asleep cuddled with you and waking up next to you is a pretty amazing thing, I wouldn't mind making a habit of it." He winked and Virgil turned beet red.

"I'm going to go get dressed!" Virgil announced quickly, getting up and grabbing his clothing, and entering the other room. 

He wasn't sure how much longer he could do this. Roman was flirty and amazing and right there. Logan was smart and caring and right there. And though Patton was the most likely to also want him the way Virgil wanted them, there was something unattainable about him in general. Why would he want someone like Virgil? Why would anyone want someone like Virgil?

There was mumbled talking through the door, and Virgil closed his eyes.

"Did I go too far?" Roman winced.

"You shouldn't push him, Roman," Logan noted, but put a hand on Roman's. "Though I understand the attempt." Patton giggled.

"Thank you for coming so quickly last night too. I know I woke you up." Roman waved his hand.

"Thank you for getting us up." He grinned. "I would prefer to be here to make sure everyone is okay!"

"I must agree with Roman." Logan smiled. "Thank you for trusting us enough to know we wouldn't get upset."

"Of course!" Patton shifted. "I guess I should go get ready too. I'll give Virgil your room if that's okay with you?" The other two nodded. "Perfect! I'll be right back, I'm going to go change in the bathroom." And with that, he opened the door and left.

"I... I didn't make him uncomfortable, did I?" Logan shook his head.

"I think you may have pushed your limits a bit, but to be completely honest, since he walked in on us, he's seemed a little more distant."

"Do you think... he doesn't like us now?" Roman genuinely looked worried, and Logan quickly shook his head.

"He seems more afraid of something. Maybe he's worried about pushing our boundaries?" Logan didn't seem completely convinced.

"Or maybe he likes us." Roman teased Logan, and Virgil's heart stopped. He thought he heard hopefulness in Roman's voice, but that was probably just him projecting. He shouldn't be listening to this, this was private. He didn't want to intrude, and he had to remind himself of that again.

Roman and Logan were dating. Or something next to dating. And Virgil couldn't get closer to them, not now. He wouldn't be able to control himself from wanting something he couldn't have. It would just hurt. It would hurt too much.

"Maybe." Logan hums softly. "We should talk to him. Maybe not now, but at some point. This seems like a conversation we should have." Roman rolled his eyes.

"Which conversation? The one where we-" He cut himself off as Logan held up a hand. "Or the one where we make sure he knows that we like physical attention with him too?"

"The second. I would prefer to have the first conversation at a later date. And not when we are worried about a witch sabotaging our dreams." Roman laughed as a spike of anxiety struck Virgil. What was the first conversation? Why didn't they want to have it while distracted? Why did Logan sound nervous?

"I mean, you aren't wrong. But we should probably wait to talk to him. I don't want to put everything on him at once." Logan nodded.

"That is a surprisingly intelligent observation." Roman laughed and pushed Logan a little, and Logan smiled. "But I do agree with you. Maybe we could do it tomorrow? And we should also find a way to do it so Patton doesn't feel left out." Roman nods.

"True..." He trailed off and sighed. "I just hope this thing about our dreams will not come back to bite us in the figurative butt." Virgil leaned away from the door and sighed. He should probably get dressed now.

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"Well, that was all truly disappointing." Esseray sighed. "I was hoping for more terror."

"Shock can help people process." A small girl said from beside the pool Esseray was looking into. Esseray rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but I wasn't going for something to help them process, I was going for absolute paralyzing fear. Next time, I'll be better. I'll admit, that dream was more than a bit shotty. And I wasn't expecting the... ahem... interference." She pushed away from the pool, and the image of the royal and the nerd sitting on the bed disappeared.

"Mistress-" The man standing behind her started and she held up a hand, not turning to see him. "Mistress, please, if I could-"

"You have lost that right, sweetling." She growled, now turning back to meet the eyes of the tall blonde man. He shrunk back. "You lost that right when you gave me the puppy dog eyes and said to me," She blinked as if making fun of him. "'One package, mistress? I just want to send my little girl a present. Please, mistress?'" Christopher flinched. "You're lucky that I haven't done anything more to you or that boy of yours." His eyes widened. He had to remember why he hadn't given up just yet. He loved his daughter and husband, he really did, but it might have been better for everyone if he had given up already. His nephew, however...

Christopher was all he had left.

"Please don't hurt him, he didn't know-" He began. He wasn't above begging, he had lost the resistance fairly quickly after the first few punishments. She held up a hand.

"Please what?" The man paused. It was one of the first rules, and he silently cursed himself for forgetting so easily.

"Please, mistress, don't hurt him, he's innocent, he didn't know what I sent her." She smiled wickedly.

"And remind me, what did you send your baby girl?" He swallowed. He had already had to repeat his offense to almost anyone who she sent him too, wearing it like a scarlet letter. His voice was soft and timid like he had conditioned it to be. You had to be good at acting if you wanted to survive in the city.

"I sent her a box of protection runes, mistress." Esseray nodded, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

"You know I like to play fair. And you have been taking your punishment well, watching your child suffer at my hands." She grinned. "One day, she'll be here, and you'll have to watch her die. It'll be your fault. And you'll have a front-row seat." He looked at the ground holding back tears, and she grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Look at me when I speak to you."

"Yes, mistress." His voice was quiet.

"Think yourself lucky that I liked you best, pet." She said sweetly, patting his cheek. "Or else you would have joined the rest of that adventuring party in the ground. Now, I believe that's enough for today, don't you? Go back to town. And know this." She took a step closer to him. "There is no way I am letting these children off easy. You are going to watch them suffer, and you aren't going to be able to do anything about it. And if you even think about crossing me again, I might pay that boy of yours a little visit. Now go." Christopher scurried off quickly, disappearing down the hallway that leads back to the dark town.

"Mistress, may I ask something?" The girl asked, not as scared as Christopher was. She'd been by Esseray's side for longer than he had. She had little to no infractions yet, or at least, none as treacherous as his had been. 

"Go ahead, sweetling." The girl shifted, swallowing.

"If they made a deal with you, a deal you would actually be interested in, would you stop with the nightmares?" Esseray raised an eyebrow. "Purely hypothetical, mistress, I would never turn on you. I am your loyal servant until the end."

"That's better." She paused before smiling softly, and Missy knew she had her. Esseray loved deals, and even more than that, she loved feeling like she was better than the people around her. Playing fair was important to her pride. "I suppose if the deal was good enough, I wouldn't be particularly opposed." The girl relaxed a little as Esseray's face turned to stone once more. "Now leave me. I wish to scheme in peace." The girl left in the same direction as Christopher, but Esseray wasn't the only one scheming.

Missy had a plan. And it was going to save everyone.


	28. The Fort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Cute fluff that turns into bad dreams later. The ending scene has mentions of violence, mentions of blood and screaming and hurt, and guilt after, so yeah. Enjoy!

"Are you suggesting," Patton was nearly squealing. "That we make a pillow fort?" Now he was squealing, bouncing up and down on the bed. And while, no, that wasn't what Logan was suggesting, the reaction made the misunderstanding more than worth it.

"I suppose I am?" Logan shifted. They hadn't had another dream that night, which was comforting, but they had all slept together in the same room. While it was nice, the beds obviously hadn't been made for four people. Someone would wake up in an uncomfortable position and have to shift, but just end up waking someone else up.

"Well, if we're building a pillow fort," Roman announced. "Then we must get more supplies!" Virgil nodded, smiling a little. He still wasn't as physical with the others as he had been before, and Roman and Logan hadn't sat down with him to talk about it yet, but there was less hesitation than before, which Logan found comforting. 

"Where are we gonna get supplies?" Virgil asked, shifting.

"We can ask Miriam?" Logan offered, and Patton grinned

"That's an amazing idea! You in, Virge?" Virgil nodded.

"What type of fort do we want to build? A nest fort or a structured fort or..." The others gave him a look, and Virgil blushed. "When we were kids, Deceit and I used to build forts in his room as a way to sleepover comfortably." He said quickly. "They were sometimes more comfortable than the actual beds." Logan blinked a few times. He hoped that wasn't the case. If your bed was not comfortable, you couldn't be getting a good night's sleep, could you?

"So you have experience?" Roman asked and Virgil nodded. "Good, I have no idea what I'm doing." He laughed.

"You've never built a pillow fort?" Patton asked, almost appalled.

"Dad would get upset if we messed up our room too much." Roman ran a hand through his hair.

"Did you build forts, Patton?" Logan asked, genuinely curious now.

"I did, but my dad would always ask me to take them down. We didn't really play much." Patton grinned. "I used to make them while he was asleep, then I'd put them back really quickly before he woke up." 

"Well, I am glad to know that two of us know what we are doing." Logan adjusted his glasses, and Patton quickly jumped up.

"I'm going to get the pillows from our room, Virgil! Can you go ask Miriam for more pillows if she has them?" Virgil paused but nodded.

"Sure. I'll be back." He promised, looking to the other two, and Patton grinned, exiting the room as well. It wasn't long until Patton came back, arms full of blankets and pillows. No sheets, but the comforter and a few soft blankets would defiantly be missing from the bed.

"Here we go! Can we strip your bed?" Roman and Logan quickly got up, nodding, and helping Patton take off the pillows and blankets. After a few moments of each of them thinking, they pushed the bed to a corner so they had more floor space. 

"We can just put it back when we're done." Roman reasoned. The door opened, and Virgil entered with three bags of what looked to be clips, blankets, and pillows. Miriam wasn't far behind with six chairs.

"Well, isn't this cute!" She clapped her hands. "We have a few more blankets that I'll get you, kids, then I'm making cookies, and I will not leave this room until everyone has at least three." She smiled at them, and Patton's eyes widened.

"Third cookies?" He whispered, almost to himself, as if it were a foreign concept that he had just heard of.

"I'll be right back, dears." And with that, Miriam disappeared into the hallway. Patton grinned childishly at the other three, and Roman grinned back. Virgil was the next to break, the force of his nervousness cracking under the weight of Patton's positivity. Logan wasn't far behind, undeniably proud that he had brought the idea up in the first place. They stood there, grinning at each other like idiots until Miriam came back with another armful of blankets. 

"The last of them, call us up when you finish!"

"Of course!" Roman took the blankets, putting them in the pile. When Miriam left, he turned to Virgil. "How do we start?"

It wasn't particularly difficult, and they got into the swing of it fairly quickly. Logan realized it wasn't unlike putting up a tent, only more comfortable, and a little more complicated, with room to improvise. The clips proved to help keep some of the blankets up, and Logan had just finished securing one of the chairs when he looked up and saw Roman biting his lip. Logan gave him a curious look, and Roman came over, whispering in his ear.

"I was kind of thinking... maybe could we... officially announce we're dating?" While Logan wasn't opposed to the idea, the suddenness was a little offputting.

"Is there a particular reason why?" He asked back softly.

"I was just thinking that the longer we put it off, the more awkward it will be. And they both already know, I just want to make sure that they're comfortable with everything." Logan nodded.

"I suppose that's agreeable. Would you prefer to make the announcement, or should I?"

"What are you two whispering about?" Patton grinned, holding up a light blue blanket that looked thin enough to allow a little light into the fort they were building. Virgil was holding the other end, holding it above the chairs, probably to be a roof.

"We were wondering if we should announce we were dating yet," Roman explained, and Logan sighed.

"Roman, really?" It took a few moments for the words to sink in with the other two. Patton's eyes widened, and he glanced over to Virgil, obviously trying not to be obvious. Virgil looked to Patton, and for a moment, they locked eyes.

"You knew?" Virgil said, his eyes widening.

"You knew?" Patton squeaked out at the same time, matching Virgil's expression.

"I... I walked in on them kissing back at the tavern, how did you know?" Patton giggled, glancing at Roman and Logan. Logan was aware he was blushing faintly at the memory.

"When I was a wolf, they kind of smelled like each other. They always wanted to share rooms and Roman agreed to go on watch with Logan way too often. I guess I kind of assumed! But then Roman told me I was right." Virgil relaxed a little.

"We just wanted to announce it, just in case you both had any questions or something like that." Roman shrugged.

"We don't want to make either of you uncomfortable, which is why we kept it a secret," Logan admitted.

"So..." Roman trailed off. "Do you have any questions?" Logan glanced over both their companions as he started to help attach the roof. Patton was mainly looking at Virgil, which made Logan smile. Virgil, on the other hand, looked lost in thought. There was obviously something he wanted to say, but then he looked to Roman who was securing the other side, and bit his lip.

"Do you both use labels?" Patton asked quickly, turning to Roman with a grin. "Like, do you think of each other as partners, or boyfriends, or something else?" Roman thought about it, looking to Logan for a moment.

"Boyfriends." Roman nodded.

"I would prefer the term boyfriend, yes." Logan watched as Virgil relaxed a little.

"Are... sorry, that's too personal." Virgil cut himself off.

"Virgil, the door is closed, and we are alone. If it's too personal, we'll let you know, but we won't get uncomfortable, I promise." Logan said as gently as he could. Virgil chewed on his bottom lip, and Logan had the urge to kiss the anxiety away. To make him feel as comfortable and loved as possible.

"Are you exclusive?" He asked softly, and Logan's heart soared.

"We have had a few conversations about that." Logan started and Roman nodded.

"I mean, I'm not going around kissing everyone else, but..." Roman grinned at the other two, and a spike of anxiety shot through Logan. "If someone pretty asked me out..." He raised an eyebrow. Virgil was looking at the blanket in his hands, and Patton giggled. Were they being too obvious? He didn't want to make them uncomfortable, but with the way Virgil was looking, slightly relieved and a little more than hopeful, he wasn't sure if he should push it.

"What's your favorite thing you've done together?" Patton asked, looking almost the same as Virgil, though he was a little harder to read.

"Stargazing," Roman said quickly. Logan smiled.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. For a moment, I was worried you wouldn't." Roman just blinked at Logan.

"Why wouldn't I enjoy hanging out with one of the most beautiful boys in the world?" Logan rolled his eyes, but Patton was looking at them like they were two puppies playing together.

"Are you still okay with us touching you or cuddling or..." Virgil trailed off, and Roman grinned.

"We love cuddling." He said firmly. "And we love cuddling with you two. So yes."

"Do not be afraid to ask for physical attention." Logan agreed. The blue blanket was now in place over the chairs, and Logan took a step back to admire it for a moment.

"This is kind of fun." Roman laughed.

"What do you mean?" Patton tilted his head.

"I mean answering questions! Keep them coming!" He said, striking a pose, but dropping the bag of clips he had been holding. Virgil covered his mouth to hide a smile, and Roman grumbled, reaching down to pick up the clips.

"Have you kissed yet?" Patton asked, and Virgil gave him a look. "What?"

"I found out because I walked in on them kissing." Virgil laughed, folding his arms.

"Ohhh." Patton's eyes widened. There was a pause before he looked to the other two. "Is it fun?"

"The kissing?" Roman asked, a little dumbfounded. Patton nodded.

"It isn't unpleasant?" Logan searched for the right word, and Roman laughed.

"Just 'Not unpleasant'?" He teased. Logan rolled his eyes. "You seemed to be enjoying it last night."

"It is enjoyable." Logan corrected, face red.

"When did it start?" Virgil asked, clearing his throat, not looking directly at either of them. 

"I kissed him in the first town we got to." Virgil looked surprised.

"That long?" Roman nodded.

"I didn't want to tell anyone because I was worried something would happen in our relationship since we didn't know each other particularly well. I am glad that nothing has at the moment, hence why we are announcing it."

"Also, we knew both of you knew, so we were just beating around the bush," Roman added.

"Who's the little spoon?" Patton asked, giggling.

"Logan!" Roman announced proudly. Logan gave him a death glare.

"I'm getting you back for that..." His voice was soft and warning, and Roman grinned.

"I'm sure you will, sir." He teased. Logan squared his jaw, but they continued working on the fort, answering some serious, some silly questions about their relationship.

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That night, the entire group huddled into the fort. There was, surprisingly, enough room for everyone to comfortably fit. Though they had tried to make Virgil feel better about the physical contact thing, he still seemed to shy away when they invited him to cuddle with them, so Roman and Logan took a corner of the fort with a pile of blankets and pillows, while Patton and Virgil took the other corner with their own pile of comfortable warmth. It wasn't long before they all fell asleep in the home they made for themselves.

"Hello, little royal." Was the first thing that Roman heard in his dream. Roman instantly stiffened, on guard with just the first words. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Where are you?" Roman called, not wanting to waste any time. "Stop being a coward and come fight me!" A laugh reverberated through the black space.

"I would think you would be a little more worried about your companions." Esseray's voice boomed. 

"Wh... what do you mean?" He hadn't meant to falter, princes weren't supposed to falter, but his stutter gave away how nervous he really was.

"Don't you see them?" Roman blinked a few times before seeing the four figures in front of him. He counted them again. Four. They were dark shapes, so he couldn't really make out anything besides the fact that there were four of them.

"Virgil, the one who's keeping the most from you." And one of the figures lit up as an image of Virgil suspended in the air by shadows, a dark figure behind him with red eyes. Virgil himself was being choked by one of the shadows around his neck and was kicking and yelling silently. There were tears in his eyes as he met Roman's gaze. 

"Patton, who I'm so excited to visit later." And another figure lit up, Patton half in wolf form, half in human form, screaming. He looked like he was being ripped in two, fighting with everything he had against the wolf that seemed to be slowly gaining on whatever form of humanity was left. Roman put a hand over his mouth to hide a sob.

"Your dearest brother, who you left all alone." And there was Remus in a scene with a large number of fighters surrounding him, swords drawn. One had their weapon straight through his twin's chest, and blood was pouring down the front of his shirt. He was looking at the wound in shock as if he had thought himself to be invincible before that very moment.

"And Lola, the one closest to your heart." Roman paused at that, he didn't know a Lola, but Logan lit up, and he realized what she meant. He wasn't one to ruin an experience, so he turned around before he could really see what the scene was.

"I really don't mean to correct you, but his name is Logan." Esseray paused.

"Logan?" She repeated.

"Yes, he is a boy, not a girl. I know that you might not care-"

"No, no, I do." Her tone changed completely from contemptible to curiosity. "Logan? Really? Huh." She paused. "I think it suits him if you ask me."

"I agree!" Roman nodded. "He's so smart, and the name is so smart too, it's just, ugh." Roman sighed.

"It does have a certain air of elegance that he seems to have as well." Esseray agreed.

"Right?" He shook his head. "He's the best."

"What makes you say that?" Her tone wasn't scary as the words might seem, still that odd curiosity.

"Well, he's just so smart, and he always wants to take care of us, and he's the sweetest and softest thing if you get him in the right space." Roman's voice was dreamy and far away.

"Oh. Well, thank you for telling me about the appropriate name." She paused. "Oh gods, I hope I didn't make him uncomfortable." She cleared her throat. "Besides the normal level of uncomfortable, of course. The fear and terror is welcome, uncomfortableness is less so." Roman nodded.

"Oh, I completely get it! It's like if someone doesn't care about your opinion, then insulting them does nothing!"

"Exactly." Esseray agreed. "Anyway, onto the torture, turn back around, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, don't worry about it!" Roman held up a hand. "Just give me a second, I have to get back into character." He closed his eyes, turning back around facing the four scenes of gruesome torture and murder. He took a few deep breaths before opening his eyes to take in the last scene. 

Logan's eyes were lifeless, starring without any real feeling. He looked... sick. Really sick. Like he hadn't eaten in days, hadn't slept in more. He looked without seeing, seeming as if he wasn't actually there, in his place was a ghost. A shell. Despite the joke that Roman could be 'Getting back into character' there was genuinely something about it that made his blood go cold.

"Why are you showing me this?" He asked, his voice a little louder than was probably necessary as if he were trying to prove to her that everything he was feeling was just an act.

"What if you could only save one of them?" She asked her voice little more than a whisper. Roman sucked in a breath. "You can only save one, and the other's will die by your hands. Which one would you choose, little royal?" Roman took another step away from the scenes, his eyes wide.

"I don't want to choose!" He blinked a few times, and the people in front of him didn't waver. "Stop it!" He said without even thinking. "Stop!" He was no longer acting, and Esseray knew it too.

"I don't think I will." She tutted. "Would you save one of your friends? Perhaps your boyfriend? The people you've known for a few weeks, or would you save your brother? Would you save him with the knowledge that three other's blood would be on your hands?" And the scenes animated. Sound bombarded Roman's senses as he watched Virgil yelling something, kicking, tears streaming down his face. Patton looked like he was literally being torn apart, screaming as if it was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life. Remus collapsed onto the floor, and the knights around him smiled wickedly, and Roman recognized them as their personal guard. Logan, too collapsed, head hitting the ground with a soft crack.

"Stop it!" He screamed, closing his eyes and holding his head.

"Choose one, little royal! Choose!" She sang, her voice proving to drive him closer to the brink. "Your bestie? Your friend? Your boyfriend? Your brother? Which one will you save? Who else will have to die?" Roman looked up, and he betrayed himself. He ran towards Remus as fast as he could, but before he could reach the scene, he was pulled back by what looked to be forces of darkness, not unlike the ones holding Virgil. He screamed louder, kicking, trying to get them off of him.

"Roman, please!" An unfamiliar voice hissed. "You're just feeding her! Just calm down, okay?" Roman paused and the voice sighed. It was male, deep, and for some reason, it was familiar, though he was sure he had never heard the voice before in his life. 

"You again!" Esseray hissed. "What are you?" 

"You need to wake up, Roman." Roman shook his head.

"I can save them! I can-"

"Roman, they aren't in danger. She's showing you your fears! It's okay! They're safe!" Roman paused. Was that true? He had gotten so wrapped up in the idea of the torture that he hadn't stopped to think. "And they need you to wake up!" With those last two words, Roman was gasping awake, lurching forward in the bed of pillows, blankets, and Logan. He covered his mouth to hide a sob.

He would have saved Remus. He would have saved Remus and left everyone else to die.

He was a horrible person.


	29. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Hurt comfort, cute LAMP at the end, Logan saying the word cuddle which I thought should be included, mentions of death and fire, but honestly nothing too bad. Also Esseray, but yeah.

"Roman?" Patton was still drowsy as he looked up to see Roman's chest rising and falling quickly. He was sitting up, his hair flopped as sad as hair could look in front of his eyes. "Hey! Hey! It's okay, Roman..." He said softly, moving over to where Roman was currently hugging himself.

"I... I..."

"Shh..." Patton shook his head. "Don't. It's okay, Roman, we're here. We have you." Logan stirred next to the pair, blinking a few times as he put on his glasses. He assessed the situation in record time, glancing over the pair and instantly attaching himself to Roman's other side. Virgil seemed to wake up now as well and came over to join.

"Was... was there another dream?" He asked softly, half asleep. Roman nodded, and without thinking, held out his arms. Virgil fell onto his chest, closing his eyes and laying there, Roman's arms wrapped around him. They lay there for a few moments as Roman's breathing slowed, and he was back to sleep. Patton lifted his head from where it was laying on Roman's shoulder and noticed that yes, the other two were asleep as well.

"Are you awake?" He whispered. He didn't know why he did it, but he got no response. He gently reached over and took Logan's glasses from his face. Logan didn't seem to stir, so Patton gently folded them and placed them on the pillow next to him again. He quietly got up but froze as Roman made a soft whining sound, lifting one of his arms over to Patton. But the arm draped itself over Virgil again, and Virgil shifted closer. Patton smiled.

He took the blankets from his and Virgil's spot and brought them over, covering the group with one of the lighter ones. He watched them for a few moments, and then slowly tiptoed out of the tent. He opened the door as quietly as he could and snuck down the stairs. It was still dark outside, but as the last step creaked under his foot, he heard a voice.

"Dear, what are you doing up?" Miriam was sitting in a chair with a book in her lap, looking at Patton with a worried expression.

"Roman had a nightmare. He's back asleep now, but I wanted to get some water for us when we woke up." Patton explained.

"Well, that's very sweet of you." She got up from her chair. "I'll join you." Patton smiled as they walked into the kitchen.

"Why are you up?" He asked.

"Oh, sometimes I get worried about little things and I can't sleep." She waved a hand. "I'll get worried that I left the fire on somewhere, and I won't be able to sleep until I double-check. And then when I go back upstairs, the whole thing starts again. It's better sometimes to just wait down here until I'm tired enough to actually sleep." She smiled at Patton.

"Are... are you someone who likes talking about it? Or do you feel like you have to?" Miriam smiled softly.

"You've experienced loss as well?" Patton didn't have to say anything, just nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. Gerald doesn't like talking about our daughter, and I understand that. Sometimes it can be painful for me as well. I just would prefer to be in pain and remember then to be blissfully happy and forget." She paused and so did Patton. "So I suppose, yes. I enjoy talking about her."

"What was she like?" Miriam laughed.

"I can tell you if you'd really like to know, dear." She smiled, pulling out a chair at the table, and gesturing for him to sit down. Patton did hesitantly, and she walked over, taking out two glasses. "But first, may I ask you a few questions as well? You don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable, of course."

"Ask away!" Patton smiled at her.

"Who did you lose?" Her voice was gentle, and Patton looked at the table.

"My mother. It was a long time ago. I barely remember her." 

"Would you like to talk about her?" Patton picked at something on the table.

"I... I'm not sure. I'm not used to talking about her, so I guess it's hard to tell?" Miriam nodded and set something down on the table in front of Patton. Patton accepted it gratefully, not really looking at what it was before taking a sip. Warm hot cocoa hit his lips, and he relaxed instantly.

"I know having sugar before bed is usually a no-no, but I won't tell if you don't." Miriam winked, and Patton laughed. 

"Pinky swear." They locked pinkies. "Do you still want to talk about your daughter?"

"I would, if it wouldn't make you uncomfortable, dear?" Patton quickly shook his head.

"I'd love to hear about her." He said honestly, and Miriam took a sip of her own cocoa.

"She was beautiful." She started. "Every time we looked at her, we were surprised at how gorgeous of a girl she grew up to be. Of course, looks aren't everything, but Gerald and I had never been gifted appearance-wise, so we were pleasantly surprised." She looked up at a spot on the wall, her eyes distant. "She was so smart, but she was an overthinker. She developed anxiety fairly quickly, which we had hoped would skip her. We have a history of mental illness in the family." Patton nodded.

"What was she like? Besides smart and shy?" Miriam smiled.

"When you got to know her, she was a bundle of joy. She was so cuddly and sweet, I once said that she could turn a monster into a friend. Though I suppose that's more common nowadays." She shrugged. "And she was funny. You wouldn't expect that, she was so small and cute that you wouldn't expect her to also be funny. But she had a way of making a whole room burst out laughing with a line."

"She sounds wonderful." Patton smiled.

"Oh, she was a terror to raise." Miriam laughed. "She would never actually do her work, instead, she was daydreaming about whatever else she wanted to do. We loved her, of course, but sometimes she was insufferable." She looked back to Patton with a smile. "Thank you, dear."

"For what?" Patton tilted his head.

"For listening. We don't get many visitors, my son only comes around a few times a year, so I sometimes get lonely, even with Gerald." She reached over, patting his arm. "You're very sweet. The others are lucky to have you." Patton blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thank you." She waved him off.

"Finish your hot cocoa, and head upstairs. I can tell we're both getting tired. And I can make special nightmare pancakes for tomorrow morning if you think Roman would like that." Patton grinned.

"He would love that." Miriam took another sip, smiling with a warmth that Patton rarely got. He smiled back, returning her sip with one of his own.

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When Patton finally made his way back upstairs, the others were still sleeping. He lifted the blanket and moved so he was curled next to Roman. Roman lifted his arm once again, letting Patton's head lay on his shoulder, and Patton hummed happily.

Esseray was watching the whole scene with a look on her face that only someone who's known her for years could call a smile. Missy noticed and had a more genuine smile on her own face. This might be easier than she thought.

"Mistress?" She asked innocently, and Esseray's head shot up with a glare.

"How long have you been standing there?" Esseray's voice was murderous, and Missy bit back a remark about how soft she had just seemed.

"Not very long." She lied. "I was just coming to bring you breakfast." She walked over and set down the tray next to the pool.

"Just because you have been with me the longest doesn't mean you are above consequences," Esseray warned, and Missy resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Of course, mistress." She said dryly. "I wouldn't dream otherwise."

"Good." Esseray looked back to the image of the four boys asleep curled next to each other. "What are you still doing here?"

"Why do you like watching them so much?" Missy asked, almost without thinking. She stepped a little closer to the pool, but Esseray waved a hand and the image dispelled. 

"Did you know," Esseray began, completely ignoring Missy's question, "That Christopher's child is actually his son?" Missy blinked.

"I didn't." She paused. "Is this information you would prefer me to tell him, or not?"

"I am not going to out the boy in front of his father without him even being present. That is his to tell." Esseray snapped, and Missy took a step back. The witch ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath. "After I finish with the bubbly one's dream in a few days, I want you to take over for me. I don't think this will be as beneficial for me as I thought it would."

"You're getting attached." Missy's voice was quiet, but Esseray's face still twisted into one of anger a she turned, nearly knocking over the tray.

"I do not get attached to those inferior to me." She growled, stalking forward. "I am not attached to them, I am not attached to any of their parents, I am not attached to their kingdom, and I am not attached to you." She growled out the last few words, and Missy let out a soft whimper. "Got it?"

"Yes, mistress, I'm so sorry for pushing. I didn't mean too, I just... I'm so sorry, please forgive me." Missy bowed her head, and Esseray put on a fake smile.

"Your apology is noted. Now go and let Christopher know that I will not be needing him today." She waved a hand, and Missy quickly scampered off, but she couldn't help the awed smile that crept across her face.

This could work. It was the first time in a long time she had allowed that thought to cross her mind, but it could. Her plan could work.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Would you like to talk about it?" The group was sitting at the table with grilled cheeses in their hands. Miriam and Gerald were outside weeding their garden, and so the four boys had the house mainly to themselves. They hadn't talked about the night before yet, but Roman was a little more distant than usual.

"About what?" Patton could tell Roman was faking innocence, and leaned over, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Roman, if you don't want to tell us what your dream was last night, that's fine! We won't judge you at all!" Roman swallowed a bite of his sandwich.

"I... it wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare." Roman sighed, putting the crust down.

"Was the witch there?" Virgil asked softly, almost as if he didn't want anyone else to hear it. Of course, the others had.

"Yes," Roman said softly. "She was." There was a pause from the others as they waited for him to elaborate. "She... she wasn't mean, exactly. She was actually kind of nice in the beginning. Then she got really..." He bit his lip.

"Terrifying?" Logan tried, and Roman nodded.

"That and worse. I really... I didn't think..." He trailed off, eyes distant.

"Roman, do you want to talk about it?" Patton offered, putting his hand over Roman's.

"I feel like a jerk," Roman said after a pause. "She... she..." He let out a soft noise that was something between a sob and a whimper.

"Would you like to... cuddle?" Logan tried, leaning over from where he was sitting across the table. "The physical affection might make it a little easier?" Roman quickly shook his head.

"You were all there." He confessed. "She... she showed you all dying. And she told me I could only save one of you." Patton went cold. He wouldn't be able to make that decision if it was given to him. He loved all of them, even though he would never say it, and just thinking about it was making him squirm. "Remus was the other one that was there." He did make a move to say anything else, letting the others come to the conclusion on their own.

"Roman..." Logan leaned forward, reaching out his hand hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, it was an instinct, I-" He was cut off by Patton's arms being thrown around his neck.

"Roman, if you wanted to save your brother, that's fine! It was an ultimatum, and you grew up with Remus! You've known us for a few weeks!" Patton said as comfortingly as he could. 

"None of us blame you." Logan agreed.

"I think I would have done the same thing," Virgil admitted, reaching over and touching Roman's arm. They stayed like that for a while, Roman holding back tears, but for a different reason now, Patton's arms around him, and Logan and Virgil holding his hands.

"Was that the end of the dream?" Patton asked as Roman let go of the other two's hand, a signal that he was alright for now. 

"No, actually," Roman said, looking at the table with concentration. "There was... something else... like a person? Who grabbed me before I could make a choice, and... they told me that I needed to wake up." Virgil froze next to Logan.

"That's strange." Logan looked at Roman thoughtfully. "Did... did this being appear to be working with the witch?"

"No." Roman shook his head quickly. "When she noticed they were there, she asked what they were. She said 'you again'." Roman turned to the two sitting across the table. "Did you see anything like that in your dreams?"

"I didn't." Logan turned to Virgil, who was looking at the table, deep in thought,

"Stormcloud?" Virgil blinked a few times, looking up at Roman.

"Hm?" He asked, still looking a little out of it.

"Are you alright, Virgil?" Logan tilted his head.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just... what was the question again?" He shifted.

"If you were alright." Logan looked concerned, and Virgil laughed softly, waving his hand.

"No, I mean Roman's question."

"Oh." Logan relaxed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "My apologies."

"I asked if you had a dark figure made of smoke that sounded male in the dream that helped you wake up." Roman clarified, and Virgil looked back down at the table.

"Yeah. I did." Patton perked up instantly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He asked, and Virgil flinched. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I just..." He winced. "I'm excited! If it was in your dream too, then that means something is looking out for us, right?"

"I guess." Virgil paused for a moment before smiling a little. What the others couldn't see was Darius standing behind Virgil's chair, laughing like a madman. 

_"Shut up, I'm going to start laughing,"_ Virgil thought at Darius, trying his best to keep his stoic expression. Darius, in response, quieted a little but was still snickering under his hand.

"I didn't think very much of it when it happened," Virgil explained as carefully as he could. He wasn't sure why he was keeping this from the other three, but there was something about the whole thing that made him hesitant. "I thought it was just my subconscious telling me to wake up."

"Aww, kiddo!" Patton smiled at him, and Virgil blushed, looking away.

"Yeah, well, I also kind of forgot about it, so..." He said quickly, as if an excuse.

"Should... should we do something about these dreams?" Roman asked carefully.

"What is there to be done?" Logan asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"We could try reasoning with her?" Patton offered, and Roman almost laughed.

"She didn't seem particularly interested in keeping me happy. My dream was full of you dying."

"I could try? My dad told me that I had a way of charming people!" He offered, and Roman smiled but shook his head.

"While that is a wonderful thought, Patton, I don't believe she would be very interested in negotiating with us. We are on our way to her castle." He paused. "What are our plans when we get there?" He asked softly.

"What do you mean, Specs?" Roman leaned back. "We defeat her!"

"Yes, but how do we plan to do that. Are we trying by force, or are we going to trick her, or..." He trailed off.

"Yeah, I'm with Logan here." Virgil shivered. "I'd prefer to have a plan in case something happens."

"I... I don't want to kill her..." Patton said softly. When he was younger, he had been outside with his dad when he had seen a hurt bird on the ground. He tried to go over and help, but his father had told him that you couldn't save everyone, and had quickly ushered him inside. He never liked killing things, even ants and bugs that would get into the house would be let out through the window.

"We don't have to kill her." Logan pointed out. "Just find a way to strip her of her own magic."

"And what about on the way home?" Roman asked. "Are we going to keep our magic? Because that could help us on the way home, but that would be selfish, right?"

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it." Logan decided, looking over at the group. "Worrying about the future won't do us any good. And while I am enjoying spending time here, I do think we should continue on our way." Patton made a whining sound.

"But it's so nice here!" Logan sighed.

"We cannot live here, Patton. That would be terrifying for our parents, Roman is the prince, and we still need to find a way to get you home before your father finds out you're missing." The farther away they got, however, the less and less Logan was sure if that were actually true. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. Of course, it was true, he wasn't crazy.

"Right. We need to go back." Roman echoed, but he sounded slightly disappointed as well.

"Dears!" Miriam called from where she was entering through the back door. The four jumped. "Would you mind coming out back and helping us finish up with these baskets?"

"Not at all! Let's go!" Roman jumped up quickly before Logan could do anything, and the other two quickly followed. Patton closed his eyes. Logan was right. He knew he was right. But why did it feel wrong?


	30. The Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of fire, another dream, but nowhere NEAR as bad as the others, torture turns into therapy

Roman wasn't fully sure how he brought it up. Later, Logan would say that he hadn't needed to, that everything seemed to have been going fine, but somehow, Roman had mentioned the magic that he and the other three possessed.

"You can use magic?" Miriam said, her voice a little higher pitched than before. "Really?" Roman froze, looking back to the other three. Virgil was mid-sip of water, just looking at the elderly couple. Logan looked up from where he was reading in the living room with interest and nervousness, and Patton shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"I mean..." Roman tried but just sighed. "Yeah."

"What kinds of things can you kids do?" Gerald asked from his spot at the table. Roman looked to Logan, who sighed and closed his book, getting up to sit at the table with the other five.

"Go ahead." He said softly, and Roman turned back to Miriam.

"I can create fire." Roman smiled, and Miriam stiffened a little bit. "Though I only really use it when making a fire when we're camping." He quickly amends. 

"I create books." Logan shifted, looking at the physical book in his hand as if it were a familiar stranger.

"I can heal people!" Patton smiles. "Which is nice. Just in case, you know?" 

"I can teleport," Virgil said softly, and Miriam's face split into a grin, and she glanced at Gerald. "Did... did I say something?" He asked, trying not to look as nervous as he felt, but his leg was bouncing now. 

"Oh, not at all! It's just been a while since we've even seen someone with magical ability." Miriam shook her head. "Ever since that witch took over the kingdom, she's been going around and taking people's magic, so not many people have the gift." 

"You know about her?" Patton's eyes were wide, and Miriam's smile turned sad.

"Oh, yes. I know all about her and the city. I had a few friends who lived in the city who I still haven't been able to make contact with." She pauses. "You are talking about Eraumeth, correct?"

"Yes," Logan said quickly. "What do you know about the witch who lives there?" Gerald laughed.

"Why do you need to know? That place is to be avoided at all costs. We're lucky there's a huge city that set itself up between here and there, if there wasn't, we wouldn't have some of the food we need to survive." His smile faded as he looked at the group, realization dawning on her face. "That's where you're heading, isn't it?"

"She took our kingdom's magic. It's our duty as the only ones left to go and get it back." Roman said as confidently as he could, which didn't appear to convince anyone at the table.

"Dears, you can't! That place is a death trap! She has the magic of at least four kingdoms now." Miriam's voice was too steady and calm to be real.

"That's impossible." Logan looked up for the first time since the conversation started, and Roman could see his mind working. "A human body isn't able to contain the magic of an entire kingdom." His voice gets quieter, slipping into what Roman lovingly refers to as Nerd Space when Logan would get so sucked into finding an answer to something that he could zone out for hours just thinking about it. Roman hated to bring him out of it, but he put his hand on Logan's arm, and he jolted back to reality.

"Dear, didn't you know?" Miriam said softly. "She isn't human." Patton blinked a few times.

"She's not... she's not human?" He stuttered out. "Is she... a wolf?" Gerald laughed.

"Werewolves have the same physical capabilities as humans, a singular wolf wouldn't be able to stand the amount of power that one kingdom possesses. At least, without a buffer." Logan explained.

"Yeah, she's not a wolf." Gerald agreed. "She's a dragon." The table was completely silent.

"A dragon," Virgil repeated slowly.

"Which is one of the reasons," Miriam said slowly as if explaining why 2+2 wasn't 5 to a child, "You can't go to where she is. She'd destroy you."

"We're powerful! We could defeat a witch!" Roman put his hands on his hips. "Or a dragon!"

"But could you defeat a dragon witch?" Roman paused at Gerald's question.

"No. No, we can't." Virgil stood up. "We need to go back home. We can't do this. It was stupid of us to even-"

"Virgil, breathe!" Patton grabbed Virgil's wrist, and he stopped. "It's okay. We can talk through this, please sit down?" He paused for a few moments before carefully sitting back down next to Patton, but his eyes were significantly wilder than before. 

"We need to at least try," Logan said simply. "I don't know of anyone else who could. And I have looked."

"With your book thingy?" Roman asked.

"Yes. I will admit, it was trying, but I tried to summon a book with information on who would defeat Esseray." Miriam quickly put a finger over her mouth.

"She'll find you if you use her name!" She said quickly.

"That's an old wives tale." Gerald rolled his eyes.

"And I am an old wife." Miriam shot back, before turning to the group again. 

"Well, she's already found us, we think?" Patton squeaked out and Miriam's face went white.

"She's tracking you?" 

"Uh... well, she's showing up in our dreams, so we think so?" Miriam's eye twitched, and she put her face in her hands.

"And you didn't tell us this before because..." Gerald trailed off, eyes boring into each of the four's souls.

"Because we didn't think it was a huge deal! She knows we have our kingdom's magic, and she obviously sees us as a threat because she's trying to sabotage us!" Roman was trying to hide how exasperated he was. 

"Do you maybe think that you can't tell the future with your books, or did you get other information?" Virgil asked, turning to Logan.

"I'm not sure. I tried with a few other things I was curious about, but I didn't get any answers. All it gave me was the prophecy."

"Prophecy?" Miriam asked, and Roman rubbed the back of his neck.

"When the witch attacked, three kids gave us a prophecy about who would destroy E-" He paused, looking around the room quickly. "The witch."

"You're linked to a prophecy?" Gerald asked, his voice soft, glancing at Miriam, and then to the wall next to Virgil. 

"I believe we are." Logan nodded. "We apologize for not telling you sooner, we weren't sure how much resistance you would give us if we did let you know." Miriam closed her mouth, blinking a few times.

"Dear, don't worry about it. It's just... a lot to process." Patton rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, but we shouldn't have to stay for too much longer! We might have to leave tomorrow." The group had talked about that at length yesterday. They had all decided that Logan had seemed healthier than before and that they wanted to continue on their way. They hadn't talked about a timeline, not yet, but they had agreed that sooner would be better than later.

"Oh." Miriam seemed disappointed, before putting on a sweet smile. "We understand. You will just have to swear to us that you'll be safe." Patton giggled.

"Of course!"

"Can we see your map?" Gerald asked, holding out his hand, and Logan nodded, going into his bag and handing the folder of the few maps he had sketched out to Gerald. He looked it over.

"Alright, so you're going the long way." He looked up. "If you go to the city, while you may have to take more time to go into the city and stop, but in the long run, it's faster and safer." He traced the path with his finger, and the group craned their necks to see. He was right, the path through the city seemed a little shorter.

"Not that we approve!" Miriam said quickly. "We still think you shouldn't be going." Gerald nodded.

"Of course. We just know that it would be better if you went there safely instead. We're not going to be able to change your minds, are we?" It was a question phrased as a statement, and Roman winced, nodding. 

"We have a friend in the city." Miriam smiled. "Their name is Holly, you might want to go see them! They own a tavern, the Holly Jolly Inn." Patton laughed.

"That... is it Festival-themed?" The Festival of Joy was the celebration in December of when the gods gave life to the first human. People would celebrate by hanging decorations on trees, and giving each other gifts as the "Day of birth for all humanity."

"They wanted it to be, but it ended up just being a general inn. They've actually done a wonderful job of setting up everything, though we should probably write you a letter to give to them." Miriam laughed waving a hand. "Why don't you go start packing and tidying up your rooms? It might be easier than just trying to get everything together tomorrow."

Roman really didn't want to leave. Not this house, not the table, he really just wanted to stay and live there forever. Miriam and Gerald were so nice, he and Logan had finally told Patton and Virgil about the dating thing, and they had almost gotten to a point where Virgil didn't seem awkward about asking for physical attention anymore. But he knew that Logan was right, that they couldn't stay here, that they needed to leave and continue on their way. There was a pang in his chest as he remembered the crown and his brother waiting for him back at the palace. 

A horrible thought struck him, and he closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to regain the breath that had evicted itself from his lungs. What if, when he got back, his father didn't want him to go out with Logan? While there had never been real serious talks about having an arranged marriage, it still was a real possibility that no one had ever overlooked, but his father had been very gentle about it and tended to put it off as a last resort. When Remus had come out as gay, Roman had held back. He didn't want to outshine his brother or act like he was trying to steal the spotlight, and anyway, most marriages between royals would end up with both members having some sort of agreement that they could date other people, as long as there was open communication.

The group made it to their rooms, but not before Logan had put a hand on Roman's shoulder to pull him out of his thoughts. Roman gave an apologetic smile to everyone and decided that he didn't care. His father could put Logan ages apart, and Roman would find his way back to him. Maybe he was jumping in too far, maybe he was naive, but he refused to let any of what he had now go. He cared for the people around him, and he refused to imagine a future where he didn't spend his days with his friends. And anyway, they still had time to get to the... well, the city that the witch had taken over (Roman had really wanted it to be a cave in the mountains, but the castle he was imagining was pretty good too) and they were going to go the same way back, which would probably be a month or two.

"Are you alright? You seem a little... tired." Logan asked as they got to their room. Roman smiled at how cute it was that he was worried.

"I promise I'm fine, my handsome nerd." Roman laughed kissing Logan's forehead and watching him blush a little. Roman hoped that for once, he wasn't lying.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Patton blinked himself awake in a dark room. That was weird. Hadn't he fallen asleep in their makeshift fort that night? He shrugged it off. This was probably just a dream. He surveyed the room around him, taking in the images that seemed to fade in around him. A familiar couch and bookshelf. A countertop. A table. All of it was familiar, but he couldn't place why. 

"Hello, sweetling." It was the witch's voice and Patton was instantly on edge. "Oh, I know exactly what to give to you." Then the door opened, and his father walked in, and Patton remembered exactly where they were.

They were in his living room. The living room of his house. How had he not recognized it before? He took a few steps back as his father took off his hat, putting it on a hook. He didn't say anything, staring at the floor as he walked over to the couch, sitting down and putting his head in his hands.

"Daddy?" Patton let out a scared whimper, and his father looked up.

"Patton cake?" His father shot straight up, looking at him in horror. "Where did you go? I've been looking for you for days! People said that they saw you with... with a group of boys? Didn't you remember about the curse? Why would you put yourself in jeopardy like that?" His father ran over, arms outstretched, but they passed right through Patton. "Wh... what?"

"Daddy, I-" His father shook his head, backing up.

"No, no. No! I can't lose you too! Patton, you... you aren't... you can't be..." Patton couldn't help himself.

"Daddy, I'm okay! I promise!" He held up his hands. "I swear to you, I'm fine! I'm not home right now, but I'm okay! I'm safe!"

"Not being home isn't safe! Why can't I touch you?" His father's face and voice were drenched with rage.

"It's a long story, I can tell you everything when we come back."

"We?" The word was a roar, and Patton flinched. "Patton, you will come home now. And so help me, gods, if I have to come out there and drag you back myself, I will do it!"

"Daddy, I can't! This is bigger than me!" He knew he was making it sound more important than it actually was, but he couldn't help it. "I'm okay, though! I'm safe! The curse hasn't happened yet, and my friends, they care about me! They're keeping me safe! You'll love them, I promise!"

"You're just like your mother." That hit worse than a slap in the face. Every time he had said it in the past, well, it never was a compliment. Not even when his father had intended it as one. Not since that night, the last night he had seen his mother. Tears started to crawl their way down Patton's face. "You're just as naive as she was. You're going to get yourself killed, Patton." He took a step forward. "Come home, my little wolf, please? I can't lose you too." Patton stopped, taking a step back.

"This isn't real." He said softly.

"What do you mean? Of course, it's real, I've been looking for you for days!" Patton shook his head, tears falling faster.

"Only mom called me her little wolf. You aren't real. None of this is." His father reached out for him, but Patton recoiled, letting out the wave of rage and emotions that he had kept bottled up for thirteen years. "And even if you were, I would never want to come back! Not when you would insult me about not wanting to hide the fact that I'm a wolf! Not when I think you would murder me for wanting to spend time with my friends outside the house! With the people I love! I never want to go back! I want to stay with them!" He shouted, and his father recoiled.

"It doesn't matter what you throw at me." And Patton knew he was no longer talking to his father. "I will never give up on getting rid of you, Esseray. We will destroy you. So until then, leave us alone!" He screeched, and the room was gone, and Patton was falling.

"If that's truly how you feel, my little wolf." His mother's voice. "Then why don't you stay here, with me?" And something about the whole thing, the visual of his mother's hand outstretched above him, the feeling of falling, the need to be safe and warm again, Patton nearly reached out to take it.

"Patton!" A dark and insistent male voice broke through, and Patton felt an arm around his shoulders.

"Will you stay out of this!" Esseray's voice was back, growling loudly. "You've intervened every chance you've gotten, who are you?"

"It's alright, Patton. Wake up." Patton was on the verge already, all it took were those soft words to tip him back into consciousness, tears rolling down his cheeks. He blinked a few times.

"Pat?" Virgil asked softly, blinking up at him.

"I'm alright, Virgil." And he was telling the truth. "I'm okay. Just a nightmare."

"Esseray's?" Virgil shifted, and Patton nodded. 

"She was there, yeah." He smoothed a strand of hair out of Virgil's face, and Roman and Logan stirred next to Virgil.

"Nightmare." Virgil's voice softly called to the other three, and almost instantly, they were surrounding Patton in a world of warmth and comfort.

"How bad was it?" Roman asked, moving his hand through Patton's hair, his voice telling that he was half asleep. 

"I think it turned out to be counterproductive." Patton laughed softly. "She meant to scare me, but it was actually kind of therapeutic."

"That's nice," Logan said softly, head leaning against Patton's shoulder, and Patton smiles.

"Yeah. It is."


	31. The Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: None? I don't think? I'm not going over this chapter like I normally do because I don't really have the energy, so if there's any I missed, let me know.

"Promise us you'll be safe?" Miriam's voice was full of worry as she rushed around the living room. Gerald was still sitting in his chair, reading some book that he seemed to have been reading the whole time the group had been there. 

"They've been on the road before, it's nothing new." Gerald gave Virgil a wink, and Virgil laughed, looking to the other three around him. Their bags were packed, Roman holding onto both his and Logan's, and Patton had a basket that Miriam was currently filling with baked goods and other food.

"Yes, but you have to promise that we'll see you again," Miriam said, making direct eye contact with Virgil, who nodded.

"We promise." He said quickly. "We'll make our way back and stay here a few nights."

"Nothing could keep us away," Roman said as dramatically as possible, and Virgil laughed, nudging him with his arm.

"Thank you for letting us stay here for as long as you did," Logan said, not for the first time. 

"Oh, dears, don't worry about it really! It was amazing having you here." Miriam smiled, smoothing out Logan's hair. "And I'm glad you're feeling better now." She turned to Patton. "Make sure your boyfriend continues to get the food he needs, alright?" Patton grins, nodding.

"Of course!" Patton looked to Logan, and Logan shrunk a little, blushing.

"I'm aware of the mistake I made before, I will not let it happen again."

"You better not." Virgil playfully nudges Logan as well, and Logan rolls his eyes back.

"You kids better get out of here before Miriam signs the adoption papers," Gerald whispers loud enough for his wife to hear. She gasps, pretending to be offended, and playfully hits him.

"We do want to get to the city soon," Logan admits, and Gerald gets up, heading them out the door.

"We'll see you back here soon. Just don't do anything stupid, alright?" The kids all nod at once.

"We promise," Roman announces, and grabs the others' hands, beginning to drag them down the path. Miriam pauses, looking to Gerald, before holding up a hand.

"Wait!" She runs back inside and grabs two envelopes. "You almost forgot this!"

"What are they?" Patton asks, taking the one that she held out to him.

"The letter to Holly, our friend, so you can stay in their inn." Gerald laughed.

"And a few coins." He added, and she shushed him.

"What about the other one?" Virgil asked, carefully taking the letter extended to him. Miriam glanced to Gerald quickly before looking away, not making direct eye contact with anyone.

"This one is for you." She said simply. "Just... open it when you make camp tonight, okay, Virgil?" It was one of the only times that they had referred to them by their names, and Virgil could feel the shift in tone.

"Of course." He took the letter, pocketing it, and resolving not to forget about it.

"We love you," Gerald said to the group, putting his arm around Miriam, and the other three smiled at them.

"We'll be back before you know it." Roman tried to comfort them, but Miriam just waved them off.

"Go. Enjoy your adventure. We'll have cookies ready for your return." And with that, the group was off.

It didn't take them more than a few minutes of walking before the path went back to the regular road they were used to. There were few trees on this particular stretch of road, which Roman seemed to enjoy, pointing out particularly beautiful flowers to Patton. Virgil, on the other hand, looked back to the house until it was completely out of sight. The couple was still standing in the doorway, watching them. He couldn't see their expression anymore, but as the house disappeared, he felt like he had missed something important.

"We shouldn't have stayed for so long." Logan was complaining softly, and Virgil rolled his eyes. "I am being serious, Virgil! We will all be sore in the morning because our bodies have adjusted to lounging around, and we have lost valuable time! I don't see a way to get Patton home before his father returns!"

"Logan, we love you-" Virgil managed to switch mid-word without anyone else noticing, "-'re intelligence but seriously, if you keep complaining, we're staying in the next city we get to for a week." Logan shut his mouth quickly which made Roman laugh.

"Thank you, Virgil, I've been trying to do that for weeks." He teased, and Logan rolled his eyes. "Even kissing didn't seem to keep him from talking for long."

"You told me you like it when I talk." Logan's voice was a mixture of logical playful teasing and slight concern.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I love it when you talk," Roman wound his arm around Logan's waist, and Logan blushed. "I just think sometimes, when we're kissing, talking about how we should get going to go and murder a witch isn't my biggest turn on."

"Damn." Virgil's voice was completely monotone. "There goes my game plan of wooing you away from Logan by talking about murder." The words left his mouth before he could stop them, and he nearly apologized, but Roman just burst out laughing.

"You really are something, J. D. Lightful." Virgil tried not to blush, looking away to where Patton was. Patton grinned and held out his arm, and Virgil carefully positioned himself so he wasn't impeding Patton's stride, but Patton's arm was still around him.

"Cutie." Patton bopped his nose.

"Stop!" Virgil whined, but there was no real strength behind the protest.

"Why should we stop? It is a fact." Logan gave Virgil a gentle smile.

"And you obviously don't believe it about yourself," Roman added.

"So we'll just have to think about it and tell you it extra for you!" Patton grinned.

"I don't believe that's how it works, Patton." Logan laughed softly. "But I agree with the sentiment."

"Patton's cuter than I am." Virgil pointed out, and Roman paused. "Tell me I'm wrong." He dared and Roman folded his arms.

"That's not fair, you're both adorable," Roman grumbled, and Patton giggled.

"Yeah, but Patton's cuter." Virgil pushed.

"No, you are!" Patton pulled Virgil closer to him, and Logan rolled his eyes fondly.

"You both are adorable in very different ways. Patton is cute in more of a sweet and innocent way, someone who you could imagine holding hands with walking in the park, while Virgil is someone who you would want to wrap up in a blanket and put by the fire with snacks." Logan explained simply. Virgil smiled, actually kind of satisfied with that answer.

"Yeah! Yeah, exactly!" Roman agreed quickly. 

"Aww, you guys are sweet!" Patton laughs, looking over to Roman and Logan. There was a moment of pause before Roman cleared his throat.

"B-O-O-K," He smiled, throwing the start of their game in the air. And it had become their game, Virgil realized, as they walked down the road. He and Janus didn't really have anything as he and this group did. Of course, they were both parts of the gang, which was really the only thing they had in common. Janus had basically adopted him, which was why they stayed as friends for so long, but this was a completely different type of friendship. They were both forged out of necessity, but there was something more comforting about this group. The idea that he could tell them anything and they wouldn't care.

"E-N-G-A-G-I-N-G" Logan continued, and Virgil turned to Patton, who looked just as lost as Virgil felt. "Engaging." Logan clarified, smiling.

"Oh!" Patton grinned. "R-I-N-G!" Roman turned to Patton.

"Ring? Why?"

"Engagement ring!" Patton grinned, clapping, and Roman nodded.

"B-E-L-L,'" Virgil continued, and Roman grinned wolfishly.

"B-A-L-L," He announced, putting his hands on his hips.

"Ball..." Logan trailed off. "T-O-Y,"

They continued like that for a few hours, just passing the words back and forth. More than a few times, Roman would laugh at something that would cause the whole group to dissolve into giggles. 

_"You're getting attached."_ Was Darius's reaction.

 _"You couldn't tell by the way you were the one who had to point out I was in love with them?"_ Virgil shot back, and he could feel Darius smile.

 _"You're hopeless. But that means you are in love with them?"_ Virgil drew in a breath sharply, trying not to bring attention to his inner turmoil.

 _"I mean, I guess."_ Virgil paused. _"Depends on what you mean by in love."_

"Virgil?" Virgil blinked a few times, looking over to Logan.

"Hm?"

"Are you alright?" Virgil laughed softly, rubbing his neck.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I just... I zoned out there for a second, sorry. What was the word?" Virgil gave an awkward smile.

"Roman said Smart, Logan said Intelligent, and I said, Logan!" Patton grinned, clapping, and Virgil laughed.

_"Yeah, I'm in love with them."_

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And once again, I say, why couldn't we have taken the mattresses?" Roman groaned as the group had lain out their sleeping bags. 

"Roman, that's stealing!" Patton scolded.

"While I'm all for stealing," Virgil cut in, "Something we learned pretty early is that an entire bed is a pretty big ask to not be noticed."

"And they were kinder to us then they probably should have been, they took care of us without asking for anything in return, so I don't believe thievery is a good way to thank them." Logan pointed out.

"Yeah..." Roman pouted, and Logan rolled his eyes.

"You can use me as a pillow again." Roman brightened instantly, pumping a fist.

"Yes!" Patton giggled. "What? He's a comfortable pillow!" Logan rolled his eyes, turning to Patton and Virgil.

"What did they give you in those letters?" Virgil had almost forgotten about the letters that the couple had given them when they left, but suddenly, the paper in his pocket was as heavy as a brick. 

"I can open mine first!" Patton offered, grinning.

"Are we supposed to open Patton's?" Roman wondered as Patton took the envelope out of his pocket. It wasn't sealed, and Patton showed that to the rest of the group.

"I suppose," Logan adjusted his glasses. "There is no harm in seeing what they wrote."

" _Dear Holly or Leana,_ " Patton began, looking to the others. "That's a good start, right?" The other three nodded, and he continued. " _We regret to inform you that we cannot, once again, come down to visit until the festival. That being said, we have sent these four children, please treat them with the utmost respect. We have enclosed a few gold coins just to make sure they are situated. They are magically inclined as well, so if you have any jobs in which you need assistance, please offer. We miss you dearly. In other, more personal news, we believe to have found our lost storm, however, it doesn't seem to understand what that means yet._ " Patton paused.

"This seems personal..." Virgil trailed off.

"What do they mean by that?" Roman said, peeking over Patton's shoulder.

"I'm not sure, but there's more, _I do hope you'll understand what that meant, we did have to encode this because, if I know these children, their curiosity would overpower them, and they have already read this. We are so excited to see you again this year, and we do hope that everything is going well. With all the love in the world, Miriam and Gerald._ " Patton finished. There was a moment of pause before Roman burst out laughing.

"They completely called us out!" He managed, looking to the others, who were laughing softly along with him. 

"Well, now at least we know they aren't trying to murder us." Logan smiled softly, adjusting his glasses.

"They had so many more options for killing us than sending us to their murder friends." Virgil pointed out.

"True. They could have poisoned us at any time." Roman agreed.

"Maybe that's what finding the storm means? Murder?" Patton giggled. "That's like in a book!" He took out his notebook, quickly scribbling something down.

"I sincerely doubt that that would be what finding the storm means," Logan said as matter-of-factly as he could.

"Virgil, open your letter!" Roman turned to Virgil, who had been dreading those words. He carefully took the letter out of his pocket and flipped it around in his hands. It was actually kind of heavy. Not like a literal brick, not enough to way him down, but there were obviously multiple sheets of paper inside the envelope. This one was actually sealed with wax that seemed to be pressed into the note with a simple stormcloud, which Virgil smiled at.

"Are we sure we're supposed to open this one?" He asked carefully, tracing the seal. "Because this one's sealed." Logan moved over to sit next to Virgil as Virgil flipped it over.

"It's addressed to you." Logan pointed out as Virgil's eyes scanned over the beautiful squiggles. And yes, they did look like letters.

"V-I-R-G-I-L," He spelled out loud, tracing each letter with his finger. His anxiety spiked. This letter was meant for him.

"We have a few options here," Logan said, turning to face Virgil, who gave him the nod to go ahead. "First, we could wait to open it until a later date. Open it tomorrow, or figure out what to do with it sometime later. I would warn you, with that option, we cannot keep putting it off for forever."

"Right." He looked at the letter in his hands.

"We could open the letter, and one of us could read it to you." Logan continued. "Or, we could open the letter, and allow you to read it best you can."

"Okay, what else?" Virgil's eyes didn't leave the letter.

"We could open the letter and one of us can read it and summarize for you." Logan looked back to Virgil. "Those are all I can think of at the moment."

"Right..." Virgil closed his eyes, holding the letter out to Logan. "Could you... could you read it out loud to me?" Logan smiled and nodded, positioning himself once again in a way so Virgil could look at the letter as well. He carefully opened the letter, trying his best to keep the wax seal from being broken, and pulled the piece of paper out. A few other pieces of paper fluttered to the ground, but Patton and Roman quickly caught them, handing them to Virgil. He didn't look at them, not yet, just looking to where Logan was unfolding the piece of paper with words on it.

" _Our dearest Virgil,_ " Logan began. " _We regret that this news comes to you in a letter form rather than in person, but both of us ended up agreeing that we didn't want to scare you off, and we wanted to give you your own time to process in your own way..._ " Logan trailed off, his eyes darting through the rest of the letter, and Virgil nudged him.

"What does it say?" He was suddenly nervous again. Logan cleared his throat and continued to read out loud.

" _We suppose there is no easy or simple way to say this, so we hope you will look at one of the pictures we have added to this envelope._ " Logan looked to the papers in Virgil's hands. Virgil hesitated but flipped the first one over.

Two figures were standing in front of a fire. The first, a woman with a large stomach, had her head thrown back in laughter. Her eyes were closed and there was a large smile on her face, one hand over her stomach, the other, on her chest. She was pale and shorter than the man next to her, but she had long black hair that was swept over one of her ears. She was practically glowing in the firelight. The man next to her was looking around confused as if he had done something to make the girl laugh and wasn't sure what. His hair was dyed a blue color, but it had already faded some back into the dark black, making it look Navy. His eyes pierced the person who captured this moment with an amused look, and Virgil couldn't help but smile.

The second picture, though, was the one that made Virgil realize what it was they were trying to tell him. This one was taken in a familiar chair. The same woman as before, though she looked tired, holding a bundle of blankets in her arms. She was looking down at it as if it were everything that mattered in the whole world. From the angle of the picture, Virgil could barely make out his face, but his eyes were unmistakable. He was holding up a fist, and his mouth was open in a yawn. 

This was the only picture he remembered from his home.

His hands shook, and he realized he had dropped the first picture Roman quickly grabbed it, putting a hand on Virgil's shoulder.

"Virgil, what's wrong?"

"My... my mother?" He said softly, looking to Logan, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Logan instantly went back to the letter.

" _You are a Storm, Virgil. Virgil Storm. When your mother passed, we thought you had passed too. You have no idea how ecstatic we are to see that we were wrong. We don't want to force you into anything, but we welcome you with open arms. We wish we were there for you, dear, we really do. We're sorry we weren't. We love you, even if you decide you want nothing to do with us. Good luck on your journey, your grandparents._ " Logan paused. " _P.S. We completely approve of your choice of boyfriends, but if they hurt you, we will destroy them. You aren't the only one with magic, you know._ " He stopped, looking up to Virgil.

"They... we just... I'm..." He couldn't finish any of those sentences, his eyes wide and his hands shaking.

"Are you alright?" Logan asked quickly, holding out a hand. Virgil quickly grabbed it, not caring about the personal rules he set for himself.

"We just spent a week at my grandparent's house," Virgil said quietly. "I thought they didn't want me. I thought... I thought that's why they didn't find me. I never thought..." He let his lips quirk up a little, and he looked up with tears in his eyes as the smile spread through the rest of his face. "I have a family." He had never been happier to hear that sentence in his life.

 _"You're a Storm."_ Darius's voice was almost as happy as Virgil's was.

"Yeah," Virgil said softly. "I'm a Storm. Virgil Storm."


	32. The Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Guilt and stuffs, dream, but NOWHERE NEAR as bad as any other dream so far, once more, I didn't read this chapter through before posting, so let me know if I missed something!

After a few more recitations of the letter in Logan's hands, they had finally agreed to rest for the night, though, Virgil was practically buzzing. Patton had made him some tea, a special kind that apparently helped Patton get to sleep, but it only seemed to make Virgil more clingy than normal. Not that Logan was complaining, he would much rather have a clingy Virgil than the Virgil who had been avoiding physical contact for days. Eventually, Virgil passed out leaning onto Patton's shoulder, and Patton smiled.

"Someone should go tuck him in." He looked to Roman and Logan, and they glanced at each other.

"If I'm being honest, I am feeling slightly tired," Logan admitted, and Roman grinned from ear to ear.

"You get some sleep, calculator watch. Patton and I haven't really had one-on-one time for a little bit, so this should be fun!" Logan smiled as Patton transferred Virgil to leaning on him, and Logan carefully carried the smaller boy to his sleeping bag, tucking him in. 

He sat there for a few more moments, just watching as Virgil slept. He was aware of how creepy it would look to anyone else watching, but he looked so peaceful that Logan couldn't really help himself. Virgil's hair fell in front of his eyes, and Logan noted that it seemed to have gotten longer since they had started their adventure. Of course, it had been longer than average before, but it suited him in some odd way. 

He supposed that they all had changed after the weeks they had been on the road. He had noticed Roman getting stronger and stronger by the day, carrying more and more to challenge himself. His hair was also getting longer, when before he had bangs that stopped at his eyebrows, he was now constantly pushing his hair behind his ears to keep it out of his eyes. 

Patton had also gotten stronger, his muscles becoming visible through his shirt when you caught him at a good angle, which was actually strangely attractive. His hair wasn't too much longer, but it was now getting curly in a cute and innocent way instead of messy as Logan had expected. When they had been in there, as Patton had deemed it, cuddle puddle, Logan had noticed that Patton's arms could surround the whole group in one big hug. 

Logan looked down at himself. He hadn't really changed. His hair was longer, yes, but he had been cutting his own hair for almost forever, so doing it on his own in the woods hadn't been too big of a stretch. And besides, he hated it when it got too long. He blinked a few times as he noticed that he wasn't as skinny as before. He had always been a small kid for his age, and even though his father loved to bake, he would always stay skinny. But here he was, and he felt a strange glow of pride at the inflation of his stomach.

After a few more moments of just watching, Logan made his way to his own sleeping bag, making sure his glasses weren't on his face, before relaxing into the warmth hugging him into a soft sleep.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he knew he was dreaming. The room around him was tall and stretched as if he were Alice in Wonderland who just taken a sip of a strange tea. Everything was ornate, the room drenched in gold and pink and red, which he supposed added to the Alice in Wonderland metaphor. There was a large fireplace with curtains covering it, which was just structurally a mistake. Curtains were flammable, so why would someone want them in front of a roaring fire? His eyes turned to a large chair that sat in front of him, and sitting in it was an unfamiliar girl. He took a step back, instantly on edge.

"Who are you?" He asked carefully.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." The girl smiled from where she was sitting, crossing one leg over the other and looking at her nails lazily. "And Esseray isn't watching us. She let me handle this one on my own, thank the gods, and I want to help."

"Why?" Logan didn't trust any of this, and he glanced around the room, looking for an escape or really anything else that could help him if this all went wrong.

"Because, sweetheart, I've been at my mistress's side for almost ten years now, and I'm sick of it. I want her to leave us alone. I want my kingdom back. You may call me Missy." She said, her eyes glancing down to his. When he didn't respond, she sighed. "And you?"

"L... Logan." Logan said softly. "What do you need from me?" She laughed softly.

"Well, you get right into it, don't you?" She leaned back. "I need you to make me a deal."

"I'm not selling my soul to anyone," Logan said quickly. He had heard of people making deals with entities that weren't particularly interested in the person who agreed to the deal's wellbeing.

"Good thing I'm not asking you too." Missy rolled her eyes. "See, there a few things that I would like to tell you about my mistress. First of all, she values pride above all else. If you set rules for her, she will not break them." Logan let out a breath of relief. "As long as she thinks they are fair as well," Missy added quickly. "You can't make a rule that she has to lose."

"Of course." Logan shifted where he was standing, wondering how many people had thought of that. He hadn't, because obviously, it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Another thing that she hates people knowing about, she always gets invested in the people she's terrorizing's lives." Missy looked from her nails back to Logan with a mischievous smile. "So, if you have a condition that she might not agree to, say, not affecting you and your group in any way until you get to her city, then you would have to give her something back." She waved her hand, gesturing to the books on the bookcases around them. The spines all had titles of names instead of actual titles. More than a few were blank, but Logan noticed four side by side, color-coded.

A red one with a loopy gold inscription that read Roman, a light blue one with white bouncy text that read Patton, a purple book with black shaky script that read Virgil, and a dark blue one with yellow blocky words that read Logan.

"Which would be?" Logan was instantly on guard again. Not just because of her words, but because of the books as well. He had never seen anything like that before, and it was more than a bit frightening.

"A story. Your story." Missy sighed. "You're making it really hard to be dark and foreboding."

"Well, assumptions aren't my strong suit." Logan folded his arms. "You would want Roman or Patton for that." He paused again, registering what she had just said. "What do you mean, a story?"

"I mean," Missy finally got up, jumping off the tall chair. "That she gets attached. So if you were to tell her everything she wanted to know about your lives, she would be more than willing to give you time to get to the city before she starts her attack." Logan couldn't help but smile.

"She'd leave us alone?" Missy nodded.

"Until you enter the perimeter of the city. So," She said the next part a little louder. "If you want her not to mess with you until you fight, you'd have to either stay outside of the city until you're ready to fight, or you'll have to sneak inside." Logan nodded.

"Understood." He smiled. "Thank you."

"Sure. Just make sure to kill her, okay?" Logan paused.

"We're not sure if we want to kill her..." He trailed off, and Missy groaned.

"Listen, she won't stop until she kills you. And she'd be more than happy to be taken down by people who were either smart enough or powerful enough to actually kill her." Missy looked Logan in the eyes. "You have to kill her. And trust me, when you get here, you're going to want to." Logan blinked.

"What does that mean?" Missy sighed.

"It means what it means. Now, do you want to make this deal?" Logan glanced around, then looked at her outstretched hand.

"We'll be safe until we get to your city?"

"She won't even be able to look at your group." Logan took her hand and quickly shook. 

"Deal." Missy grinned, looking almost childish, but then there was a notebook in her hands.

"Now, tell me everything." She leaned in as Logan started to tell her of their adventure so far.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Logan was shaken awake gently by Roman. He blinked a few times, looking around the room.

"Logan? Are you okay? You started talking in your sleep." He looked worried. 

"Yes, I'm fine, my apologies if I startled you." Logan put on his glasses to see light streaming through the tent's entrance. "You didn't wake me up for the second watch?" Roman rubbed the back of his neck.

"Virgil said that he wanted a little alone time. He hoped you wouldn't mind." Logan nodded, sitting up a little more, and reaching for his glasses.

"I actually do not. Thank you for allowing me to get more sleep." He glanced outside of the tent. "Is everyone else awake?" Roman nodded.

"Yeah, Patton made us breakfast, but we were waiting for you." Logan got up, adjusting his sleeping shirt and putting on his ascot quickly. He made his way outside with Roman and sat down with the group.

"How did you sleep?" Virgil asked, fidgeting in his seat.

"Very well, thank you." Virgil glanced at Roman and he shrugged.

"No dreams?" Patton tilted his head, and Logan smiled softly.

"Actually yes." Instantly everyone was on edge, Patton flopping down next to Logan and handing him a bowl of yogurt, Virgil and Roman both moving closer quickly. Logan didn't say anything else, taking a small bite of the yogurt in his hands.

"And?" Roman urged, leaning forward.

"I don't believe we'll be having any more problems with the witch's influence," Logan said with certainty. The others looked at each other quickly.

"What did you do?" Virgil asked in awe.

"I simply made a deal." He shrugged. "It wasn't even my idea."

"Logan, if Esseray offered you a deal-" Roman started, but Logan held up a hand.

"She did not. One of her subordinates did. She told me that Esseray wouldn't be able to mess with us until we get to her city." Patton gasped softly.

"So no more dreams?"

"Not if the person I spoke with was too be trusted," Logan assured him.

"What did you give?" Virgil's voice was wary.

"A story, actually." Logan smiled softly. "Apparently, Esseray has gotten attached to us. She has been watching us at times when she is able, but she doesn't know everything that we have gotten up to. So I told her what we have been doing." Roman's eyes widened.

"That's all it took? A retelling of our adventure?" He scoffed.

"It's been mostly walking, sir sing a lot, I wouldn't call it an adventure," Virgil interjected.

"We are on a journey to destroy a witch, I would call it an adventure!" Roman stuck up his nose.

"Actually, it would be a quest. We have a destination and goal. An adventure is if we didn't have a goal." Logan corrected, and Patton tilted his head.

"Then what's a journey?"

"That's when the destination wasn't as important as the road there." Roman sighed dramatically.

"Then wouldn't this be a journey?" Virgil asked, tilting his head at Logan.

"It depends on what happens when we reach the witch." Logan thought about it. "But I suppose at this point, yes."

"Aww, you like us!" Roman turned to Virgil, pulling him into a hug. Virgil squeaked, struggling slightly.

"I do not! Get off of me, Prince Pompous!" But they were both laughing, and they were all smiling, and something spiked in Logan. He wanted to join in, to hug them both, to show them how loved they were. He had to remind himself that he and Roman hadn't talked to Patton or Virgil about their feelings yet.

He was thankful to himself that during the dream last night, he had neglected to talk about his feelings for Virgil and Patton. Of course, he couldn't avoid the question of if he and Roman were dating, a confident yes, and if he was concerned about Roman getting too close to the others, a hesitant no, but other then that, he had mainly stuck to the actions they had taken since leaving the kingdom.

"Hey, Logan, how long is it until we get to the next city?" Virgil asked as the group finished their meal, Logan eating more than he normally would under Patton's watchful gaze. Logan thought about it, adjusting his bag.

"It shouldn't be more than a day or two, maybe tomorrow?" He looked at his bag, tempted to take out the map, but decided against it. "Then we will sleep at the inn, possibly help out around town, and then it shouldn't be more than four days until we get to the castle."

"Then we make our way all the way back." Virgil lamented, leaning his head back to look at the sky.

"Yes. The long road home." Logan agreed, sighing. "I should hope that we make faster time on our way back."

"Ready?" Patton called to the two who were finishing with the tent.

"Nearly," Virgil called back, putting the last piece of fabric back into the bag and handing it to Roman. He gratefully took it, slinging it over his shoulder along with the other three bags.

"Are you sure you can carry all of that, Roman?" Logan bit his lip, not wanting to hurt his boyfriend.

"Of course! I'm the strongest of all of us! It's also excellent endurance training." He puffed out his chest, and Logan nodded. 

"Just be careful, Ro! We don't want you getting hurt!" Patton patted his arm, and Roman nodded.

They walked for a few moments, enjoying the beautiful weather. It was warmer than it had been before. It got to the point where Virgil had to take off his jacket, tying it around his waist. 

"Do you think the people who attacked us are still tracking us?" Patton asked, glancing around.

"I mean, we did stay with... well, with Virgil's grandparents," Virgil grinned at Roman's words, "For a while, so I hope not. They should have lost us by now, right?"

"It would make sense." Logan agreed. "We didn't leave the house for a few days, and I don't believe that we are valuable enough to continue tracking for days on end."

"I hope they're long gone." Virgil shuddered. "The idea that someone was tracking us was kind of terrifying."

"Do you think it was because of me?" Roman shifted, looking at the ground. "The tracking thing, I mean."

"Why would you say that, kiddo?" Patton was instantly worried, and Roman rubbed the back of his neck.

"Because, I mean, I haven't really been doing a good job of keeping my identity secret. I went outright and said it at that tavern. And I don't cover my face or anything."

"Roman, you are doing nothing wrong," Logan said quickly.

"Yeah, you revealed yourself to save Logan. I'd kind of be mad if you hadn't." Virgil patted him on the shoulder.

"You're not doing anything bad or wrong." Patton agreed. "You're the prince! Attention will happen whenever."

"And, if I'm being honest, Princey, you look completely different now than when I first saw you." Roman scoffed at Virgil's words.

"How do you mean?" Patton asked, studying Roman.

"I mean, just look at him. It happened with all of us." Virgil pointed out what Logan had been thinking about the night before. "We're all kind of dirtier than before, Roman's hair has grown out kind of a lot, he looks stronger, we all have kind of gotten a tan, and I'm pretty sure he got taller." Patton nodded.

"Oh, you're right!" Roman looked to Virgil with a smirk.

"Have you been watching me, Man In Black? How do you know all that stuff?" Virgil blushed.

"You parade around in front of us, sometimes shirtless, what else am I supposed to do?" Virgil rushed out quickly, looking away.

"That was one time!" Roman whined.

"One time too many!" Virgil stuck his tongue out at Roman. 

"I for one enjoyed it." Logan pointed out, remembering the night that Roman had deemed it too hot to wear a shirt.

"Of course you did, he's hot, and your boyfriend," Virgil grumbled.

"You think I'm hot! Hot topic thinks I'm hot!" Roman puffs out his chest, and Patton giggled.

"Shut up, dork." Virgil glared, but he was biting back a smile.

"You are handsome, Roman!" Patton agreed, and Roman preened. 

"I would have to agree." Logan nodded, smiling. He knew how much Roman was affected by praise, it had been something he had noticed fairly early on. Compliments always seemed to make him softer, happier, more excited, and clingy. Logan for one enjoyed it immensely. "And so are you, Virgil."

"Wh... why are we talking about me?" Virgil sputtered, flushing. Logan noted how pretty he looked, eyes wide and face dusted red.

"Well, I mean, he isn't wrong." Patton agreed, nudging Virgil, who looked away quickly.

"I mean it when I call you hot topic." Roman winked.

"Okay, okay, yeah, anyway!" Virgil quickly changed the subject. Logan also took note of that. It wasn't the first time Virgil had shrugged off some sort of praise. Maybe... eventually he would really want to help with that somehow. "Do we want to play, or do you want to keep complimenting me."

"Complimenting you," Roman said quickly, and Virgil punched him in the arm. Roman laughed. "Alright, alright, fine. You start."

"Ok... uh..." Virgil thought about it before sighing. "R-O-S-E." Roman gave Logan a look, and Logan smiled.

"P-R-E-T-T-Y," Roma spoke with confidence, turning to the other two. Patton perked up.

"S-M-A-R-T." He looked to Logan.

"A-M-A-Z-I-N-G" Logan spelled and looked to Virgil, who looked a little confused.

"I guess... A-W-E-S-O-M-E."

"N-I-C-E."

"P-E-R-F-E-C-T." Logan smiled quickly, making eye contact with Virgil.

"V-I-R-G-I-L."

Virgil refused to talk to them after that, but they all agreed it was worth it to see the look on his face.


	33. The City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Ok, so kind of Moxiety fluff at the end, almost getting tricked, mentions of Darius when it's not Virgil's chapter ;D And also people judging people based on how they look. Quick pronoun correction for people who are unaware. Pretty tame chapter!

"Whoa." Patton was the first to say something the next day as they crossed over a hill to look at the walled city.

"Whoa." Virgil echoed, more of a whisper than Patton's. 

"Whoa." Logan agreed, eyes wide as he tried to take it all in.

"Whoa." Roman laughed out, shaking his head. "I forgot how big cities are." The others just nodded. 

They hadn't really stopped at any city since they had started their trek. Every town they had made their way to was no more than a few shops and an inn or tavern. This place, though... this place was massive. It was bigger than Patton could ever remember the Kingdom of Sides being. To be fair, he hadn't really gotten to see much of his hometown, but the other three seemed to agree with him.

"We will need to move at some point." Logan pointed out, clearing his throat, but despite his words, he made no move to continue on their way.

"A few more minutes?" Virgil couldn't tear his eyes away, and Patton had to admit, the whole thing was kind of majestic. The wall wasn't high enough to block the tops of all the buildings, and the way the light hit the whole thing gave it almost a halo. From where they were standing, they could see people entering through the gates, people with particularly large wagons or cargo showing letters to guards who stood in wait at the entrance. There was a humanity to the whole thing as if the city itself were breathing.

"Patton, you still have the letter that Miriam and Gerald gave us, right?" Roman asked, and Patton nodded quickly.

"Yeah."

"Then we mustn't dawdle!" Roman announced, taking the first step down the hill. He almost instantly lost his footing, and slid a few inches, before Logan caught his arm. 

"Be careful." Virgil laughed, as the group carefully took a few more steps toward the city.

Something that tasted like dread curled in Patton's stomach. He had known they were close to finding the witch, but he really didn't want this to end. He loved his friends. He just wanted to make sure that everyone was alright. And the closer they got to the city, the more he wasn't sure it was going to end up that way.

As they approached the gates, the guards standing at attention both surveyed the group, before holding out a hand to stop them.

"Our sincerest apologies, but we will need to see some identification if you don't mind?" Patton blinked a few times.

"Why? It's not like this place is a club or something?" He tilted his head, peeking inside, trying to see if it was, in fact, a very big club.

"Of course, but we aren't supposed to let children inside by themselves."

"Are you kidding me?" Virgil mumbled under his breath.

"We're trying to get to an inn inside, his grandparents sent us!" Patton tried helpfully, but the guard shook his head.

"Sorry, that might fly where you're from, but there's been a rise in gang activity around here, we want to make sure that all children are accompanied by an adult." The first guard spoke again, his voice one of mock sympathy.

"There you kids are!" A man said loudly as he walked over to the group of four, and placed a hand on Virgil's shoulder. Virgil tensed instantly until the man squeezed softly, and he relaxed a little. "Thank you for stopping them, I was just escorting these young gentlemen to my parent's friend's inn." He smiled sympathetically.

"Excuse me?" Roman said, shifting towards Logan a little bit.

"I don't want to make your job any harder, come on boys." The man beckoned as he started to make his way to the gates. Virgil gave Patton and Roman a look, and Patton's eyes widened. This man was helping them inside.

"Wait one moment," The guard held up a hand again, and the party stopped. "If you're with them, what's his name?" He pointed at Virgil. "Whisper me your name, and if he gets it right, then I'll let you pass." Virgil froze but with a pat on the back from this strange man, went over to the guard and whispered something.

"His name is Virgil. Can we go now?" The man's arms were folded, and the guard deflated a little.

"Alright, of course, sir, sorry for the inconvenience." And they made their way past the gate. Once they were out of earshot, the man gave the group a look.

"You kids need to be more careful."

"Who are you?" Roman hiss-whispered, looking around conspiratorially.

"My name is Darius. You're lucky I recognized Virgil from a little while back. He worked in my shop for a while." Darius gave Virgil a small smile. "Don't get in trouble, okay? I can't save you every time."

"Wait!" But Darius was already making his way through the crowd, vanishing as someone blocked their view of him. "How did you know him?" Roman turned to Virgil, who just shrugged.

"I worked for him for a few weeks before." He said flatly as if that explained everything. "I guess I hadn't recognized him. We should keep moving." 

"As curious as that was, I have to agree. We should get to the inn and decide how long we are to stay here." Logan glanced around.

"What was the name of the inn again?" Roman wondered aloud, and Patton perked up.

"The Holly Jolly Inn!" He grinned, looking around. The whole group scanned the buildings around them, looking for a place that matched that title.

"I don't see it around here..." Roman pointed out, and Patton bit his lip before making a quick decision, assessing the people around him, and tapped on the shoulder of a girl who looked about their age.

"Hi! So sorry to bother you, we're looking for the Holly Jolly Inn?" The girl gave them a puzzled look.

"Uh, sure. It's just down that way, you really can't miss it." She looked at each of them up and down judgementally. "But do you really think you can afford it?" She let out a puff of laughter.

"What do you mean?" Roman asked, instantly on edge.

"I just mean, you four look like you haven't seen a bath in days, and that place is kind of ritzy." She folded her arms, adjusting her stance. "I mean, do what you want, but they usually don't give out rooms for free." Patton was taken aback by her comment.

"Good thing we have money, then," Virgil said in a deeper tone than he usually spoke in, and the girl rolled her eyes. 

"Oh, sure you do." She flipped her hair, and Patton noticed the start of a tattoo on her shoulder that her hair had covered before. Virgil sighed a little as he noted it, and looked back up to her.

"Yeah, thank you for the directions and the insults. Let's go." He quickly started walking in the direction the girl had waved them in. She looked momentarily disappointed but rebounded quickly as the group disappeared around the corner. 

"Everything alright, Virge?" Roman looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah. It's a stupid trick, we damn nearly fell for it." He laughed softly.

"What do you mean?" Logan shifted. "Was there something I missed? She just seemed to tell us that we didn't look rich."

"That's how they get you. It's kind of a simple trick, some tourist asks directions to a more high-end place, you dare them to tell you how much money they have, then you lead them somewhere where they can't get away, and take it from them." Virgil sighed. "She wouldn't have gotten too far, and it's pretty stupid to have threatened four of us."

"Oh," Logan said, blinking a few times. "Is that a common occurrence?"

"Not particularly." Virgil was obviously done with this conversation but was humoring the other three. "But it can be a good way to get some spare money if you need it." He paused, pointing. "Here we are."

The building... it was huge. Not a skyscraper, but bigger than anything Patton had ever seen before. There was a rustic homey feel to it, and he could just imagine decorating the rooms with books and poems and paintings and cuddling up by the fire with his friends, closing their eyes, and taking a nap. Patton looked to his friends to double-check that they were ready before he pushed the doors open.

The inside was just as he had imagined. A wood-burning fireplace in the corner with a bar that looked slightly out of place for how ornate the rest of the room was. A few musicians played on a stage at the opposite side of stairs leading upward to what Patton's boundless imagination thought were thousands and thousands of floors. There were a handful of people around, all with clean faces and fancy attire. The entire room was washed with light purples and whites and blues, and there was something so serene and calming to the whole thing. The entire room smelled like lavender. A woman at the bar looked up with a smile that drooped when she saw the four. They approached.

"Hello, dears, is there something I can do for you?" Her voice was quiet and a little too sweet, as if she were talking to a pack of stray dogs she saw in an alleyway.

"Hi! We're here to see Holly?" Patton smiled encouragingly at Virgil, who leaned into Patton's side a little more. 

"Holly's in the back, are you kids sure? I can recommend a more affordable place if you need it." She sounded like she was genuinely trying to be helpful, but Roman prickled next to Patton.

"We have a letter for her from Miriam and Gerald Storm-"

"And even if we didn't, I assure you, we can pay." Roman cut in, his voice calm, but his hands balled into fists where the woman couldn't see.

"Of course, I'll get Holly, one moment." The woman pauses. "Oh, and also, not to make things uncomfortable, but it's them, not she." Patton's face went hot.

"Oh my goodness, of course, I'm so sorry!" He laughs rubbing the back of his neck. "We have a letter to them." He corrected quickly, and the woman smiled.

"Thank you. I'll get them!" The woman disappeared into the back room.

"Do we really look that bad?" Roman asked, shifting, and looking down at himself.

"We have been sleeping outside for a few nights, so we are slightly dirty, and we aren't wearing the most fancy of clothing. We are a stark contrast from the other people in the room now, but we do not look bad." Logan smiled, slipping his hand into Roman's, and Roman squeezed softly. 

"Speak for yourself," Virgil grumbled.

"Hey!" Patton turned Virgil so they were facing each other. "You look amazing. And tonight, we'll get a nice warm bath, and a good bed, and then, if we want, we can go clothing shopping tomorrow!" Logan winced.

"I might abstain from that particular activity."

"Here they are." The woman entered, smiling. Next to her was a tall feminine figure, hair pulled behind their ears in one braid that reached their back. They smiled at the four in front of them.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" They smiled, tilting their head.

"We have this letter from the Storms," Patton explained. "We stayed with them for a little while, and they wanted to make sure that we were safe on our journey, so yeah!" Holly took the letter, smiling, and reading it over quickly.

"Well, this is excellent." They looked back to the group. "And which one of you is the little Storm?" Patton nudged Virgil, who carefully held up his hand. They let out a puff of laughter. "Of course. You look just like your uncle, which means the son of a bitch owes me two gold pieces." Virgil blinked, laughing softly. 

"So... we can have rooms?" They nodded quickly.

"Of course." They paused. "But... the letter did include you being magical?" They tilted their head, and the group nodded. "And you'd be willing to take a job?"

"Depends on the job," Virgil mumbled, before seeming to realize he spoke out loud. "Oh, uh..."

"You're careful." They nodded, smiling at Virgil. "I like that in a person. We are having a little bit of a rodent problem in the basement. We need someone to take care of it. There's just one problem, the last owners of this place didn't want anyone getting in via the basement, so they made it like a labyrinth." Logan's eyes widened. "You'd need to get rid of every rodent in the basement and also find your way back. Could you do that?"

"I think so?" Roman turned to the other three. Patton nodded, and Logan looked nearly giddy. Virgil shifted before sighing.

"Sure."

"Perfection!" They clapped, turning to the other girl next to them. "Lead them to their room, if you don't mind?" Roman and Logan exchanged looks. One room? Patton shifted where he was standing. That might get a little awkward. They had been sharing two sleeping bags for a while, but sharing a room was a completely different story. They would be asleep in the same room at the same time. Holly turned back to the group. "We're basically full at the moment, so you're going to have to share a room, my deepest apologies. We can go over more in the morning, but you all look tired. I'll let you rest and adjust."

"Follow me!" The girl smiled at them, leading the group upstairs. After an almost awkwardly long walk up a staircase, the group found themselves outside a door. The girl gave them one last look as if making sure that she was leading the right group, and slipped a key into the lock. The door opened, and she handed Virgil the key. 

"There's a bell next to the bed, so if you ring it and say what you want to eat, we'll have it delivered, breakfast is at sunrise and goes until noon, but for other meals, you'll have to go and find a place to eat. If you need recommendations, I've eaten at every restaurant in the city, so I can help you, just ask for Helena. Otherwise, enjoy your stay." She stepped away, allowing the group to enter the room.

"Now this," Roman announced as he turned around slowly, trying to take in every detail at once. "Is more like it!"

The room, for lack of a better word, was huge. It was elegant with a high ceiling and literally, everything inside looked fancy. The bed was gigantic, obviously enough to fit every member of their group comfortably, and probably have enough room for two full cakes to add on top of that. There were four doors connected to the rooms, two of them were large walk-in closets, and the other two were open to show huge bathtubs lined with gold and silver. Patton nearly squealed.

"This is..." Logan started.

"Too much, way too much." Virgil shook his head, waving his hand out in front of him. "We can't accept this, can we?"

"I have a feeling that most of the other rooms look like this one, Virgil." Logan smiles softly.

"I feel a little better about sharing a room." Patton laughs, before his eyes land on an ornate desk. His eyes widen as he runs over to it, setting his bag next to it, and taking out paper and a pen, placing them on the desk. "This is perfect."

"I'm going to go take a bath!" Roman announces dropping their things neatly in a pile near the wall and briskly walking over to where one of the doors stood open. He pushed in a little farther and gasped. "There are bubbles! And lavender!" He quickly entered, closing the door firmly behind him, and the others heard a click. 

"I don't believe we will have access to Roman or that bathroom for a few hours." Logan turned to Virgil with a small amused smile. "Would you like to take the other bathroom to wash, or would you prefer if I went first?"

"You, please." Virgil shifted looking around the room as if he were afraid to touch anything. "You can figure out how it all works, so you can teach me after."

"Perfect." Logan walked over to the other bathroom and closed the door. Virgil carefully made his way to the bed, putting his own things next to it, and sitting down. Even though he was being careful, there was a slight bounce that Patton was excited to exploit.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at the paper Patton had been feverishly writing onto.

"Writing a poem!" He explained before pausing. "I think you're the only one I haven't shared one with!"

"Oh." Virgil tilted his head. "What do you have so far?"

"Just like the stars cut through the night  
You shine  
Just like an actor on a stage  
You shine  
Just like a diamond in the rough  
You shine  
In the darkness all, I have to do  
Is reach out my arm to you  
You pull me up and I just smile  
Knowing I'll stay with you for a while  
I..." Patton trailed off, shaking his head. "That's where I stopped."

"Patton, who's this about?" Virgil moved a little closer to the bed, and Patton shrugged.

"I'm not sure! Why do you ask?" His heart was pounding in his chest. If Virgil realized that this poem was most likely about Roman or Logan or even Virgil himself, how would Virgil react? Patton took a few moments to fantasize about Virgil kissing him, telling him he felt the same way or really doing anything his heart was pleading with him to do. But instead, Virgil looked at Patton strangely.

"It sounds like a love poem if I'm being honest." Patton pretended to be shocked.

"It does? Huh! Maybe I've just read a few too many romance novels, you know how I get!" He tried to laugh it off, going to focus more on the paper. Virgil dropped the topic, but Patton missed the hope in his eyes, the wanting that answered Patton's pounding heart.


	34. The Labyrinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Uh... wow. So panic attack, but not before adorableness, also I don't think that kissing someone in the middle of them having a panic attack is a good strategy in the future, but I have a thing for prinxiety finally confessing under times of GREAT distress, mentions of polyamory

"Do you four promise to be careful?" Holly asked as the group stood at the top of the stairs leading downwards. Logan had that giddy grin on him again that Roman had to stop himself from kissing. He had been in that excitable headspace for most of the night before, looking at three different books about mazes before the group had all headed off to sleep. 

Roman himself hadn't really slept well the night before, he had almost been asleep when Patton's arm found its way around Roman's torso. Roman was sixty percent sure that Patton had been asleep at that moment, and while Roman had been cuddling with Logan, Logan had also seemed to attach himself to Virgil, who had smiled and returned the affection in his sleep. Roman had been paralyzed with how nice it had been, the four of them cuddling, and he tried to keep himself awake for as long as he could to just enjoy the moment. 

"We promise!" Patton agreed quickly, grinning. They sighed, smiling.

"Thank you. And keep those message stones on you." Holly nodded to the four stones they had given the group. 

"We will," Roman assured them. "Onward! To adventure!" Holly let out a puff of laughter before stepping back, allowing the four to carefully make their way down the stairs. 

The area was bright enough for them to see by, but most of the lights were covered with something that gave the whole area a dim and dull look to it. It was all surprisingly clean, even with the haze. In front of them, there were two ways to turn, and Roman recalled those as being the entrance and the exit that Holly had told them about. Get in one end, survive, and leave out the other. 

Roman took a deep breath in as the entire group made their way down the stairs, stepping in time with each other. Roman could feel the nervousness radiating off of Virgil, but Roman knew himself. This wasn't a day where he had very much self-control. If he started comforting Virgil, touching him in almost any way, he wouldn't be able to keep himself from kissing him or saying something equally as incriminating. 

Roman turned his head, trying not to make it obvious that he was trying to sneak a glance at Patton as well. Patton, of course, noticed and gave him an encouraging smile, mistaking his curiosity for concern. Roman's heart swelled. He really needed to get his mind off his two crushes before it became too much for him to handle, so instead, Roman focused on Logan. 

That proved to be a mistake instantly, he had never seen Logan this exited before. He was obviously trying to hide it from everyone, noticing himself slipping into a giddy smile, and correcting it instantly, but it was incredibly cute, and all Roman wanted to do was cuddle and tell him how amazing he was. It wasn't fair that they had stuff they had to do.

Logan turned to the group as they took the last step to solid ground, and Roman reminded himself that really all he had to do was just not do something stupid.

"We need to stay together. No matter what." He informed them. "This place is a literal maze, so if we get lost from each other, we will have a smaller chance of finding our way out." He adjusts his ascot. "Our main purpose is getting rid of the rodent problem, which is why we brought bags." He gestured to the bags that were slung over the group's shoulders.

"Yeah, you already debriefed us, Lo." Virgil pointed out, and Logan laughed softly.

"I suppose I did. Are we ready?" He gestured to the entrance to the maze, and the other three nodded. "Excellent." Logan took a deep breath before smiling. They started into the maze, making sure to keep themselves close to each other.

"Do you like mazes, Logan?" Patton asked, tilting his head at their friend.

"I... I suppose you could say that." Logan smiled softly. "I have always enjoyed the logic to them, though I rarely get to go through them." 

"You didn't go to the fair?" Virgil asked, almost appalled. "They had a ton of mazes and stuff."

"The what?" Patton's adorable head tilt turned to Virgil.

"The fair in town, you guys seriously never went?" Virgil's gaze locked on their blank expressions, and he laughed softly, "Ok, that might have been a bad choice of who I was including in that sentence, but Logan, seriously, you never went?" Logan shook his head.

"I do remember the fair, though I haven't gone. It always got too busy at the store, and I couldn't find the time to leave. I didn't expect that sort of thing to be something you enjoyed, Virgil?" Virgil rubbed the back of his neck.

"I mean, it was kind of fun once I got used to the crowds. It helped a lot that Janus went with me." He shrugged. "It can be kind of overwhelming, but once I got used to it, it was pretty nice. Kind of expensive, though."

"When we get back," Roman announces, "We're gonna take a trip to the fair, and we're gonna do everything there is to do." Patton smiles at the thought, it honestly seemed to cheer everyone up, which made Roman happy.

"That will be your first decree as king." Virgil teased. "We get free passes to use anything at the fair we want." And though the mention of Roman becoming king stung a little, Roman laughed too.

"Nope!" He folded his arms, puffing out his chest. "I'll buy the whole fair! That way we can enjoy it all year long!"

"The upkeep on that would be atrocious." Logan pointed out. "And we would have to buy our own prizes, we would be spending so much money on just having a vacation spot." 

"Well, buying presents for people is fun!" Patton giggled. "And maybe we don't buy the whole fair so other people can enjoy it. We just rent it for a few days so we get it all to ourselves!" Roman laughed.

"Amazing idea, Patton." Roman turned back to Virgil. "What sorts of things are at this fair you speak of?" Virgil rolled his eyes.

"Well, for one thing, there are more than a few mazes. We used to have this challenge to see who could get through the maze the fastest. Janus usually won just because he would go through the walls." Patton pouted.

"That's against the rules, isn't it?" Virgil nodded.

"Yes. Yes, it is." Virgil smiled at the memory. "There are also some rides, some faster than others, but we tended to stick to the slower ones. There were also a ton of games, I think Patton would like those in particular. They always gave out prizes, it was awesome." Patton grinned.

"It sounds wonderful." Logan smiled.

"In all seriousness, we need to do that when we get back." Roman insisted.

"Who says I'm gonna want to hang out with you lot when this is all over?" Virgil teased, but Patton turned to him with suddenly watery eyes and a sniffle. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! That sounds fun." He admitted, and suddenly, Patton was no longer sad, he was smiling and laughing.

"Gotcha kiddo! I know!" They all laughed together and continued on their way.

The maze was big. Roman suspected it was nearly noon when they had made their way three fourths through. There weren't nearly as many rodents as they had been expecting, so most of the day was just filled with them talking. Virgil and Roman had a few verbal spars, Logan explained a few things about mazes, and Patton seemed to be enjoying himself just listening to everything going on. 

Everything was going great until Patton ran over into a different part of the maze when the group wasn't looking.

"Uh, guys?" Patton's voice rang out and echoed through the maze, and the entire group paused. "I... I think I got lost?" It was still a question, not a statement, but Logan sighed. 

"Do you know which direction you are?" He held up a hand to tell the others to pause walking, even though they really didn't need it.

"...this one?" Roman could hear the wince in Patton's voice. He felt Virgil tense next to him, and Roman reached out a hand without thinking. Virgil took it, pressing himself closer. Logan turned to the pair.

"Alright, I'm going to go find Patton. We'll communicate on the stones to not wear out our voices. If we are not able to find you again, we will just be in pairs to make sure that we don't get too lost. You two stay together, alright?" Roman nodded quickly.

"Got it." Logan quickly disappeared into another part of the maze. It wasn't long until they heard something coming through Roman's stone.

"We hear you," Virgil said quickly, but he was bouncing his leg, and Roman could tell that he was nowhere near as calm as he sounded. 

"I have found Patton, but I don't believe I remember how to get back to you two. We are nearly out of the maze, so all we need to do is find our way to the exit. We will stay together as much as possible, and if we run into each other, then we will regroup. Is that agreeable?" Logan's voice was faint, but Roman understood. He nodded before realizing that Logan couldn't see them.

"That sounds good. We'll see you soon, okay?" Logan's voice came through again.

"Yes. Please be careful, if we see anything or need assistance, then we will message you." And with that, the stone fell silent. Roman turned to Virgil, who was looking at one spot on the ground, his eyes distant.

"Virgil?" Virgil looked up at him, his chest rising and falling faster than before. Roman quickly led him to sit down, and Virgil curled his legs under himself. "Can you look at me, love?" Virgil shook his head, and Roman had a flashback to when he first met Virgil. He ran a hand gently up and down Virgil's arm, and Virgil collapsed into him. "Are you worried about Patton and Logan?" Virgil nodded. "Hey, they're gonna be okay! They're really smart and capable, and we'll see them soon."

"What... what if..." Virgil's broken voice managed, and Roman nearly cried.

"No what if's. Those only bring more panic. They're gonna be okay." He could tell Virgil was calming down, but the real worry and fear had started to set in again, and Virgil pulled away.

"But what if they got hurt? We should have noticed that Patton had walked away, right?" Virgil looked up to Roman and Roman swallowed.

"Virgil, we aren't expected to be perfect. And we would have noticed he wasn't there anymore if we had a few more minutes." Virgil didn't seem convinced.

"I'm a horrible person." He looked at the ground, sounding defeated.

"You are not." But the words, despite the finality in Roman's voice, didn't have the effect he wanted them to.

"I'm a horrible friend, I'm not worth any of your attention." Roman felt desperation crawl up the back of his throat. 

"Virgil, stop it." The shout of anxiety, panic, and self-deprecating thoughts inside Virgil's head was too loud. He barely registered that Roman even spoke.

"I shouldn't be here, I should have stayed home, you would have liked hanging out with the other two so much more." Roman reached forward, brushing the hair out of Virgil's face. He barely reacted, curling in on himself more.

"Virgil, that isn't true!" If they were in any other situation, Roman would realize how close they were and he would move away. But this wasn't any other situation, and Roman just moved closer, wanting Virgil to feel every bit as loved as he actually was.

"You deserve so much better-" Virgil was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against his. Roman was kissing him desperately, and Virgil froze completely. The shock of... well of Roman, stopping every thought in his head until there was only one.

 _"Kiss him back!"_ Darius furiously whispered as Roman started to move away. Virgil surged forward, quickly kissing back almost intensely as Roman had been. All thoughts of the other two flew out of his head because Roman was kissing him. Roman Seymore, the prince of his country, was kissing him.

Roman was also freaking out because he was kissing Virgil. He had actually done it. He had known that today he wouldn't have been able to control himself, and now he was sitting on the floor of a basement labyrinth in a strange town 

And then he remembered the others, and pulled away quickly, eyes wide.

"Roman-" Roman put a finger to Virgil's lips.

"Before you say anything, I love you, Virgil." And the breath left Virgil's lungs.

"You..."

"I love you. You don't have to say it back, I don't expect you too. But... but... I need you to know." Virgil opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally said something.

"Logan..." Roman laughed softly.

"And I have talked about this." He finished the sentence for Virgil, and Virgil's eyes widened.

"What?"

"You remember when you walked in on us?" Virgil nodded.

"How could I not?" He blushed.

"Well, Logan wanted to talk about my 'Want to join us' comment," Roman brushed some of his hair out of the way, looking to the side. "And we talked about... ahem... if we would actually want you to join us." Virgil's face fell.

"If this is some sort of sex fetish I'm not really interested-" Roman quickly shot back to attention, looking over to Virgil in a panic.

"No, no, no, no, nothing like that!" Roman shook his head. "We both agreed, gods I shouldn't be telling you this, that we want you to join us in general." He cleared his throat.

"Like... in the relationship?" Virgil's voice was small.

"Yeah. We talked about it... and uh... we realized that we liked you and Patton just as much as we liked each other." Virgil took in a soft breath, and Roman was struck with the overwhelming urge to kiss him again.

"Roman-"

"I want to kiss you again." He blurted out. They both paused. "If that's okay with you." Virgil bit his lip and then shook his head quickly. Roman's heart sank.

"Not until I talk to Logan." Roman nodded, feeling a little better. At least Virgil wasn't uncomfortable with whatever they were doing.

"Ok. I get that." Roman shifted. "But... would that be something you're interested in?"

"A relationship." Virgil tried out the words. "With you. And Logan. And Patton." His cheeks were glowing a wonderful shade of pink, and Roman nodded. "I... how... how could I not be?" He laughed weakly. "You're so amazing, and Logan's so smart, and Patton's so sweet and-" Roman was tempted to kiss Virgil again as he cut himself off, but he held back, remembering that Virgil had wanted to talk to the others.

"Good." Roman laughed, grinning.

"Does Patton know?" Roman shook his head.

"But I know he likes you. And I like him, and so does Logan. So I think we're gonna be good on that part." Virgil blushed.

"He likes me? He told you that?" Roman nodded.

"Yeah, we had a whole conversation about it and everything. It was pretty adorable." Virgil laughed, but they were interrupted by the stone making a noise.

"Logan?" Roman quickly took the stone out.

"We found the exit!" Patton's voice cut through, and Roman could hear Logan's smile.

"Yes. We have found our way out. Are you both alright still? We thought we heard arguing."

"We are excellent," Roman smirked at Virgil who blushed. "We're on our way, don't worry!"

"Perfect." And with that, the pair stood up.

"Can I... can..." Roman held out an arm, snaking it around Virgil's waist, and Virgil hesitated. He wanted to make sure that Logan was actually alright with everything, but this wasn't anything they hadn't done before, so it couldn't be that bad, right? And he loved the way he seemed to fit right into Roman's arms. Roman seemed to recognize the way Virgil relaxed into him as a way of saying go ahead, and they made their way out of the maze.


	35. The Boyfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Patton feeling bad, but other than that just healthy communication! Mentions of past Anxciet

"Did you kids have fun?" Holly joked as the four made their way upstairs, depositing the bags where Holly directed them to. Roman once again looked at Virgil in a way that made him want to both punch the royal and kiss him.

"As much fun as one could have in an underground maze." Logan let himself smile a little, and Patton nodded.

"I got all dirty though!" He dusted off his clothes, and, really for the first time since they entered the maze, the group looked at their own clothing. Virgil's jacket was covered in dust and dirt, and there was the same discoloration on his pants where he had sat on the floor. Roman wasn't much better, and at least Virgil had been wearing black. Roman's white outfit looked almost ruined. Patton's shirt gave off a puff of dust particles into the air as he touched it, and Logan's glasses had more than a few smudges.

"Put your clothing in the bin by your door, I'll have the cleaners get that back to you as soon as possible." They smiled. "And thank you for doing that for me. Let me know if you need anything else, I am at your service." They took a small bag out from behind the desk and tossed it to Logan. Logan caught it with a clink.

"We can't-" He started, but Holly held up a hand.

"You spent half the day down there, you deserved some sort of compensation." They insisted, and Logan relented. Holly went back to their desk, and Patton turned to the group.

"I call taking a bath first!" He grinned at them, and Virgil couldn't help but grin back.

"You go ahead, Virgil and I needed to talk to Logan about something." Patton paused.

"Is everything okay?" Virgil nodded.

"Yeah, everything's fine, don't worry, we'll be right up." Virgil tries to comfort Patton, and Patton smiles at them, but Virgil can tell that he's still worried.

"Alright, if you say so, kiddo!" As soon as Patton disappeared up the stairs, Roman took Logan by the arm and took the trio over to a more closed off area.

"Is everything alright? You both seem..." Logan trailed off, and the pair exchanged looks. There was a few moments of silence, and Logan adjusted his weight, folding his arms. "Are you going to tell me what happened, or am I going to have to infer?" There were a few more moments of awkward silence.

"Roman kissed me!" Virgil blurted, pointing at Roman with his eyes closed.

"Hey, that makes me sound bad!" Roman defended, looking to Logan. "Virgil was saying all this untrue," He directed the word right at Virgil. "Stuff about himself and refused to listen to me, so what else was I supposed to do? Not kiss him?" Logan let out a puff of laughter.

"I suppose I shouldn't have left you both alone." Logan visibly relaxed.

"I agree. What were you thinking." Roman teased. "I told you this morning that I had like, no self-control today."

"That you did." Logan agreed, before turning to Virgil. "Are you... what exactly did the two of you talk about?" Virgil shifted uncomfortably.

"He... uh... he told me that you guys talked about this sort of thing." He started, looking to Roman, who nodded as encouragingly as he could, and some of the heart combusting anxiety was released. "And that... that... you'd be interested in me too?" Logan smiled in relief.

"Yes. That's correct. If you are consenting, of course." Virgil looked at the two of them.

"And this isn't a prank?" His voice was small and terrified, and he could tell by just a look that the other two wanted to scoop him into their arms and keep him safe forever.

"It would be a sick prank." Logan sighed.

"Phrasing." Roman bumped Logan.

"What? It would be a horribly twisted and disgusting prank and- Oh, is that one of the slang words you were telling me about?" Logan groaned.

"Yep!" Roman giggled, and Virgil couldn't help but laugh a little too.

"To answer your question, Virgil, no. This isn't a prank." Logan turned back to Virgil. "We should also let you know that we are interested in Patton as well, but if you are interested in joining our relationship, and aren't comfortable with that, we will have to all sit down and have a conversation." Virgil quickly shook his head.

"No, I like Patton too." He said quickly, and Logan smiled with relief, exchanging the look with Roman, who was grinning.

"Does this mean I get to kiss you again?" Virgil blushed.

"Uh..." He looked to Logan, who folded his arms.

"You got to kiss him already. If you wouldn't mind, Virgil, I would also like a turn?" Virgil bit his lip before darting over to Logan, pressing their lips together quickly. The kiss was innocent and sweet, but Virgil noticed Logan's smile. When they pulled away, Virgil looked to Roman who was pouting.

"You big baby," Virgil mumbled, but kissed Roman too, noticing the difference. While Logan was soft and careful, Roman was quick and exited, arms wrapping around Virgil's waist. As they pulled away, Virgil noticed Logan watching them with a small smile.

"We should go and talk to Patton, now. Let him know that nothing is wrong, and ask him to join us." Logan stated plainly, and Virgil thought he was going to implode.

"Now?" Roman raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I don't mind, but any reason that we should do it so soon, love?" The light blush on Logan's cheeks as he heard the pet name didn't escape anyone's notice.

"I don't believe we should keep the information about adding Virgil to our relationship from Patton, and I also don't want him to feel left out or jealous," Logan explained. "I believe asking him is the only way to apply all of the above."

"I'm fine with that," Virgil said quickly. "If that's what you're worried about."

"That does make me feel better." Roman amended, turning to the group. "Should we do it before or after cleaning up?"

"After," Logan said quickly. "It will give us all some time to think through what we wish to say," Roman grinned.

"And us being clean might make him more likely to agree." Roman pointed out, and Logan flushed.

"That was not something I took into consideration," Logan said a little too quickly for it to be the truth.

"Of course not, nerd who takes everything into consideration." Roman grinned. "Let's go upstairs."

As they pushed open the door, they saw that Patton's clothing was already in the bin by the door. Roman made a mad dash for the other bathroom, even though neither of the other two was going to fight him to it. Eventually, everyone got washed. As Virgil finally left the bathroom after stalling as long as he thought he could get away with, he saw Roman idly talking with Patton on the bed in fresh clothing that had probably been provided by Roman due to the fact that the shirt was a little too big for Patton. Logan, obviously, had brought a change of clothing, and almost instantly noticed that Virgil had not. He held out one of his shirts to Virgil, who was only in his bathrobe. After dressing, he sat down on the bed as well.

"Patton-" Logan started but was cut off.

"I need to say something first if that's alright?" Patton said quickly. The group looked at each other with worry. A spear of panic pierced Virgil. Had he heard their conversation the other day? Was he going to tell them off? It didn't sound like something Patton would do, but then again, Patton also didn't seem like the type to be a werewolf or a fighter, so maybe he was wrong.

"Go ahead, Patton." Logan gestured for him to continue, and he stood up.

"I just..." Patton shifted on his feet nervously. "I'm sorry." He blurted. There were a few moments of everyone just looking at him. 

"What for?" Roman said carefully.

"I'm... I feel... I've been having these thoughts recently, and I just... I feel like I'm making you cheat on each other or I'm forcing Virgil into a box or something, and I'm so sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything, but-"

"Patton," Logan's voice is that gentle stern tone that could somehow calm anyone down. Patton's mouth snaps shut. "What sort of thoughts have you been having?" Patton opens his mouth and shuts it a few times. "You don't have to feel obligated to tell us anything you don't want to."

"I want to tell you. I don't know why, but I do." Patton's face was unbelievably guilty. "I... I thought about... about kissing you. Or cuddling but in a way... in a way that was more than friends, or baking or just hanging out but... but in a way where... where we said things that weren't things friends say to each other." He didn't meet anyone's gazes, starring at the floor. "I thought that it started with Virgil, and I didn't' mind it so much, but then I started thinking about Roman too, and Logan, and then everyone together, or in pairs, and... I feel so selfish. I'm so sorry."

The group let Patton calm himself down a little, but Virgil held out a hand, Patton looked up, sniffling. There were unshed tears in his eyes.

"Patton, you are not selfish," Roman said with force and confidence.

"Nor are you forcing any of us to do anything we don't want to do," Logan added.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." Virgil finished, and Patton wiped at his eyes.

"What do you mean?" His voice was soft, almost hopeful before he deflated a little, his mind coming to rest on an idea that wasn't exactly the one he was excited about. "I mean, yeah. Sorry."

"Patton." Logan put a hand on Patton's knee.

"We actually wanted to talk to you about something that had to do with what you were just talking about," Roman added quickly. Patton blinked a few times, confused.

"What... what?" Logan cleared his throat.

"Apparently, in the maze today, Roman kissed Virgil." Virgil felt himself going beet red, and Roman smirked.

"Are you... are you both breaking up?" Patton's voice was small and terrified.

"No," Logan said quickly. "We are not." Patton's face was confused. "Roman and I had talked about it beforehand, and we had decided that, while we love each other's company, and enjoy being boyfriends, we wouldn't mind asking you both to join us in our romantic relationship." Patton blinked a few times.

"I'll translate." Roman laughs. "We want to be in a relationship that includes all four of us, not just two or three. If you don't want to be, you don't have to be, but judging by what you just said..." He trailed off.

"I thought... I thought people could only be in relationships with one other person?" Patton looked at his hands. "I didn't think about it... I didn't realize..."

"It is called Polyamory. Though, if you are interested, I would like to talk about ground rules." Logan cleared his throat.

"I'm interested!" Patton squeaked out. "Very!"

"Excellent." Logan couldn't seem to help the grin that spread across his face.

"What type of rules?" Virgil realized he was asking before he had thought the words through.

"Well, for example, I would prefer for us to be in a closed relationship with each other. I'm not interested in dating around with other people. Though, with how we are proceeding, I don't believe it will be too large of an issue." Roman nods.

"I believe that if I try hard enough, I can keep my flirting to just within this group." He winked at Patton, who giggled.

"Another thing I would also like to make a rule," Virgil caught Logan glancing over at him. "If anyone starts to become uncomfortable with something we are doing, they let us know immediately." 

"I... I think I can try that." Virgil said softly, and he could feel the other three smile.

"Me too!" Patton said quickly, and those words were almost better than a hug from any of the group. 

"I'm fine with that!" Roman added.

"Perfect. Does anyone have anything they would like to add?"

"I'd like us to go on a date?" Patton offered softly.

"I would love that." Logan smiled at Patton, and Roman nodded emphatically next to Logan. "And I believe I can set one up for us by tomorrow night in town." Patton squealed.

"Yes, please!" Patton was bouncing up and down a little on his chair, and Virgil smiled.

"Uh, I have something I'd like to add with the rules and things?" He said softly. Suddenly all eyes were on him. "Could... if I say to not ask questions about something, or... or if I need space, we give it, right?" The others nodded quickly.

"Of course."

"We don't want you to feel smothered!"

"I'll try my very best, my dark knight!" Virgil smiled. He still couldn't believe that this was really happening. That his friends actually liked him like that.

"Another thing we should go over," Logan cleared his throat. "Is... how do I put this..." Logan adjusted his glasses. "I suppose how intimate you would prefer to keep our relationships, whether one on one or in a group."

"Like, kissing and stuff?" Patton squeaked out, his face getting red.

"Logan and I have already kind of set up our parameters for that sort of thing," Roman added. "But I guess it would probably be different for everyone individually." The room was silent for a little while, and Logan shifted.

"We wouldn't have to do anything if we weren't comfortable with it." He said quickly. Virgil felt himself opening his mouth before he could stop it.

"I... I wouldn't mind kissing?" He gave a pointed look at Roman. "Just try to warn me beforehand." Roman smiled sheepishly.

"I shall try my best."

"I think... kissing sounds good?" Patton relaxed a little more. "And I'd be up for doing... uh... other stuff. If you want to!" He rushed out. Logan turned to Patton and Virgil.

"Have either of you two not done something like that before?" Virgil blushed and looked away. He had, years before, with Janus when they had tried a relationship. He hadn't particularly enjoyed the experience, but he had a feeling that it was mainly because they were both awkward and not actually in love, instead, feeling like they should be in love.

"I haven't..." Patton blushed. "I mean... I guess you could kind of tell?" Roman laughed softly.

"Then we won't push you to do anything you don't want to do," Logan said definitively. "I want you to make sure that you aren't forcing yourself to do something quickly because you think it's what we want." Patton nodded.

"Have you and Roman...?" Patton trailed off, and Virgil turned, now interested. Logan smiled, but it was more of a smirk.

"We have." Roman blushed, looking away.

"Please tell me it wasn't in my grandparent's house?" Virgil groaned, and Roman looked at the floor guiltily. "Gross!" But he was laughing. The other three joined in, and soon they were all smiling and laughing, relief washing over them each at the same time.

"Uh, Virgil." Logan quickly got them back on track. "Would you be alright with-" Virgil held up a hand.

"Honestly, as long as we talk about it beforehand, I'm okay with whatever. Just make sure we talk about it and stuff so I don't get too nervous."

"Noted." Logan turned back to the group. "I suppose that's all we really need to go over..."

"We should start talking about where we want to go on our date!" Roman announced, and Logan cleared his throat.

"Actually, I have some ideas about what we could do." The rest of the group leaned in, and Logan looked over at them. "Oh, if you don't mind, I'd like for it to be a surprise?"

"I love surprises!" Patton giggled.

"Just tell us what to wear, and it is done!" Roman put his hands on his hips.

"Just nothing... nothing crazy, okay?" The anxiety was back again, the thought that this all could be some elaborate prank. But there was something inside of Virgil that was telling him it wasn't. Telling him that this was all going to be okay.

Telling him that he was home.


	36. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Cuteness and fluff! Let me know which of the movies I described you'd like the most XD

Logan was standing in the hallway outside the group's room. He had been planning this almost all day, and the bustle of it all had kept him from thinking too hard about the conversation the group had the day before. He had finished everything rather quickly, whether it be because of nerves or the excitement slowly bubbling in his chest, and that was how he found himself pacing.

He had barely told the others anything about his plans, nothing more than asking them to dress up a little more than they normally would. Patton had made good on his plans to go outfit shopping with the other two, which was perfectly fine with Logan. He hoped everything had gone well, even though they had expressly stated that nothing of any romantic affiliation was to take place. 

Logan himself had put on something a little more formal, putting his bag back in the room before the group had returned. He knew they were in there now, he could just barely hear Roman and Patton's excited chittering. He hoped Virgil wasn't too nervous about the whole ordeal. Logan was fairly certain he had created something that everyone would enjoy, but the possibility that he was wrong, that he had misjudged everyone and they would hate him for it, was still very much real and keeping him from rushing forward with the night.

Helena had proved to be actually useful, which Logan had secretly been shocked by. While she hadn't been outrightly rude to them before, she hadn't seemed like the type to be able to admit when they were wrong. But no matter her personal feelings, she had helped Logan with everything he had needed, even going so far as to pitch in a few gold coins for a few more... expensive ordeals.

Logan jumped when Patton stuck his head out of the doorway. Logan knew it was still early, but he hoped this meant that the others were just as excited as he was. Patton instantly brightened as he saw Logan in the hallway.

"I know we have like... thirty or so minutes before you told us we should be ready to leave, but we were kind of hoping we could be a little... early?" Logan smiled.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." He smiled as warmly as he could and gestured for Patton to meet him outside. Patton nodded quickly, before ducking back inside and closing the door. He heard a few muffled words before the door pushed open and Patton, Virgil, and Roman each exited.

Patton was in a baby blue button-down shirt and a white jacket that made him look regal. His glasses were a little shinier than usual, though Logan couldn't tell if it was because of the lighting or because Patton had done something special. His freckles were more visible, and Logan was pleased to notice that there were more of them than previously anticipated, his entire face sprinkled with adorable dots.

Logan's eyes landed on Virgil next. Of course, Virgil's outfit was a little looser than expected, but it worked for both what Logan had planned, and with Virgil's overall look. He was in a dark purple shirt and a black vest that accented the eye shadow that Patton or Roman must have done. It was far too shiny for Virgil to have brought it himself. Virgil shifted and gave him a small excited and nervous smile. 

When Logan saw Roman, his heart nearly stopped. Roman was in the floor-length gown they had brought from the Storm's residence. He had added a beautiful necklace that shimmered with the rest of his outfit. Nothing he was wearing, however, took away from his face. He wasn't wearing any makeup, unlike Virgil, but his hair was held out of his eyes by a dazzling hair clip that he was wearing proudly. It had a small crown on it that made Logan smile a little wider.

"You all look magnificent." He confessed to no one in particular, allowing himself, for the first time, to completely enjoy everyone's reaction. The way Roman preened, the way Virgil blushed, ducking his head, the way Patton giggled and raised a hand to his cheek.

"You look amazing as well," Roman said quickly, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Logan's face. The simple gesture shouldn't have made Logan's stomach react the way it did, deciding now was the right time to try out its gymnastic routine. 

"Well," He cleared his throat. "We should get going. I suppose I can ask to move our reservation up to now." Roman perked up at the mention of a reservation.

"Are you going to tell us where we're going?" Patton bounced, grinning, and Logan shook his head.

"It's a surprise. I hope you will enjoy it, but if you don't, just tell me and we can do something else." He didn't miss the way Virgil pulled his sleeves over his hands awkwardly. Without thinking, Logan reached out and grabbed one of them, feeling Virgil's hand in his own. Virgil didn't seem to mind, and Logan led the group down the stairs.

Despite the early hour, the sun was already starting to go down, painting the sky in the yellows and oranges that meant the start of a sunset. Logan leads the group to a fancier looking restaurant, and Roman blinked up at it, and Logan could tell he was reading the sign that named the building as "The Violet Road".

"Logan, is this where we're eating?" He asked softly, his voice in awe. "I've heard of this place. From other nobles. I've heard it's excellent!"

"Is it really expensive?" Patton worried, biting his lip.

"It isn't anything we aren't able to afford," Logan assured him, and Patton seemed to relax. Virgil, on the other hand, didn't, still standing kind of awkwardly next to Logan, hand clutched tightly in his own.

As the group entered, the man at the front looked up with a smile.

"Ah, Mr. Sanders! I have your table all ready for you." He gave the group a warm smile as he leads them to a table. Logan had specifically asked for something a little ways off from the other tables, making sure that they wouldn't feel like they were being watched, but nothing so private that it was uncomfortable.

"Thank you." Logan gave a nod, then pulled out the chair for Virgil to sit down. Roman did the same with Patton, before rushing over to Logan's seat and pulling the chair out for him as well. Logan couldn't help a soft laugh that escaped his lips, but he sat down. Roman sat down himself and smiled at the group.

"Here are your menus, a server will be here in a few moments to take your drink order." The man in the suit nodded to them, before leaving them to their table. 

"We're really here!" Patton breathed out excitedly.

"How is everyone feeling so far?" Logan asked quickly, though the question was more directed at Virgil, who had barely spoken.

"Nervous, but actually pretty good." Virgil looked up and smiled. "Sorry, I'm just... even when I was dating before, I don't think we ever actually went on a real date. It was just... just kind of whatever we usually did when we hung out." He looked to the group. "This is nice."

"I'm glad." Logan smiled.

"This place is as wonderful as I heard!" Roman gushed. "I love the decor, everything is so fancy, it's been a while since I've properly done something like this!" He beamed.

"I've never been to this kind of place before, but it's really nice! Thank you, Logan!" Patton agreed. The conversation picked up from here, Virgil eventually seeming to get a little more comfortable, which was good. Logan had been particularly worried about him for this portion of the evening, but seeing how he was smiling and laughing like he did when they were alone, well, it was enough to make Logan's heart swell.

After taking their orders of mostly water, the waiter disappeared and allowed the group to look at the menus. Virgil's eyes narrowed, and he looked up guiltily at Logan.

"I... I don't want to be a downer or anything, but I can't read this menu." He confessed softly. Logan hid his smile. He had looked at the menus before and knew that Patton and Virgil would have a hard time deciphering what they wanted from the array. He himself had had trouble figuring out what was a sandwich and what was a steak. But that was fine. It was all part of the plan.

"I suppose you're right..." He hummed, before turning to Roman. "You've seen most of these dishes, correct?" Roman nodded.

"We had a whole lesson back at the palace about different menu options and when to serve them. Remus had a blast making that teacher turn as red as he could by putting the dessert first every time." He grinned.

"I understand if you wouldn't want to do this, but would you mind ordering for me, Roman? I trust you." Logan folded his menu, and as he suspected, Roman's face lit up.

"Really? I mean, yeah! I can do that!" Patton grinned.

"I'd like that too if you don't mind!" He exclaimed, and Virgil relaxed.

"If... uh... if you're offering, I guess." He mumbled, and Roman preened under the attention.

"Of course!" Roman puffed out his chest. When the waiter came around, Roman whispered his selection to him before giving the rest of the table a wink. The waiter looked at the group.

"Are you all alright with him ordering for you?" The group nodded and the waiter sighed. "Alright, I'll get those for you in a moment." He nodded and left. 

Logan had no idea what was set down in front of them, but it all smelled heavenly. There was little talking as they quickly made their way through the food the waiter brought with him. Soon, the plates were cleared, and the entire group looked satisfied.

"Thank you for taking us here, Logan," Patton said with a smile.

"Yeah, this was pretty nice, even though it isn't really my scene." Virgil agreed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Logan left a few coins on the table, standing up. "Are we ready to move on?"

"Move on?" Virgil looked up at Logan, and for the first time, noticed his mischievous grin.

"Yes. You didn't think I would just take you three to dinner, did you?" Roman blinked a few times before shaking his head. "Then let's go. We wouldn't want to be late, would we?" And he started to move towards the door.

"Late for what?" Roman called, before looking to the other two, who were getting up quickly and following Logan outside. "Late for what?" He asked again, but the question fell on deaf ears as everyone hurried to keep pace with their nerdy boyfriend.

Logan continued to refuse to do anything but smile as the group made their way down the street to a library. Everyone was confused as he pushed open the doors, and the person at the front desk looked up.

"Ah, Mr. Sanders! And these, I presume, are your boyfriends?" The man got up from behind the counter. "It's a pleasure. I have the room all ready for you!"

"Logan," Patton's voice was in awe, and he laughed. "What are we doing here?"

"You'll see." He said, his grin not letting up.

"Just follow me, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it!" The man gave a quick bow, and then led the group to a backroom. It was dark inside, and when the man clapped and the lights came on, it wasn't too much better. The room had three black walls, and one painted white, though the floor was littered with pillows, blankets, and cushions. In front of the pile of comfort was a binder.

"Just shout out your pick, and I'll get it started for you. You have this room for the whole night, so don't be afraid to pick more than one!" And with that, once again, the group was left on their own. Patton turned to Logan with a huge grin.

"What did you do?" He laughed, shaking his head.

"I found out where they show movies," Logan explained. "I assumed that you three hadn't seen one before."

"I saw two for my fifth birthday, but... wow, Logan!" Roman looked around. "Isn't this super expensive?"

"Seeing them when they first come out is. But the library gave me a discount because I've been a loyal member for so long." He paused. "I do hope it's alright that we can't see anything new, but they've given us many options. And I asked for them to give us the things to make a pillow fort." 

"Logie, oh my goodness!" Patton squealed, before running to Logan and kissing him. It caught Logan off guard, but he kissed back quickly. It was quick before Patton was running to the pillows and blankets and starting to set up a pillow fort-like structure. Logan wasn't sure he could move for a moment, paralyzed by how wonderfully natural it had felt to just kiss Patton. 

Virgil glanced at Logan, and finally, he was broken out of his sudden stillness. Logan nodded at him, and Virgil practically ran to join Patton with the fort. Logan's heart melted at how excited they both looked.

"Logan, you really didn't have to do both the dinner and the movie," Roman said softly, twirling them both so his arms were around Logan's waist, and Logan was in front of him.

"I know." Logan looked away. "I just thought it would be nice." Roman smiled.

"You're wonderful, you know that, right?" Logan blushed, not responding. "You're so wonderful, starlight. This might be the sweetest thing I've ever had anyone do for me. For us." He pulled Logan in and kissed him softly as well.

"Stop kissing and come help us with the fort!" Virgil called out, and they pulled away, both flushed and laughing.

The fort was not as structurally sound as it had been at the Storm's house, but it was good enough for them to enjoy while watching a movie. Now they had all piled into it, a comfortable tangle of arms and legs. Logan was at the top of the pile Patton laying in his lap, Roman laying in Patton's lap, and Virgil laying in Roman's lap. It was all so nice.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok, so we've narrowed it down to 'The Shadow Of The Spotlight', the superhero one, 'A Poly Jolly Christmas'," Roman snickered, "And 'Ready As I'll Ever Be,' which sounded interesting." Patton finished, turning to Logan, who shook his head.

"I told you three to choose the two we watch." He laughs softly.

"Yeah, but we need your input too." Virgil folded his arms, looking up, Logan sighed.

"Alright, read me the synopsis again." He adjusted, closing his eyes.

"To prove to his dad that he really is polyamorous, and get him off his back enough for him to go abroad to write articles for a famous magazine, Terrence invites his two friends, Quil and Leo to his house for Christmas, pretending to be his partners. But when real feelings start to mix in, he isn't fully sure what he wants anymore." Patton reads out loud, and Logan nods.

"That wasn't in order," Roman whined, folding his arms.

"It's blind! He doesn't know which one that was!" Patton giggled.

"Well, now he knows it isn't The Shadow Of the Spotlight." Virgil pointed out.

"Go on, please, Patton." Logan laughed, shaking his head.

"Okay, okay. Next, four teens in a world where magic is a rarity, are thrust together in a plot to create magically mentally ill soldiers for a company to exploit. While managing school, a play, and romance, they have to also save the world from an evil plot by some of their childhood friends." Patton turned to Logan, looking for a response. Logan nodded again.

"Alright, and the last one?"

"After a curse by the gods, anyone who does something illegal will be cursed with a mark on their face. These people, called misfits, were hunted for millennia. An age of peace seemed to have been reached when all these people were magically unable to enter the city again, but when the castle is infiltrated by one of their kind, can love and goodness prevail?"

"Are these supposed to be comedies or tragedies? I understand that A Poly Jolly Christmas is probably funny, so we should end with that one." Patton nodded and Roman grinned.

"Yes!"

"The other two are supposed to be both? Ready As I'll Ever Be is kind of a musical as well, and they both have funny moments, but they can also get dark." Logan took a moment to think, before nodding.

"What about a triple feature?" The others all grinned ear to ear, before nodding.

"Yay! I'll go show the guy our picks!" Patton quickly got up, running over to the exit, and disappearing. He reappeared a few seconds later, and the lights dimmed. The first movie, Ready As I'll Ever Be, started playing. 

Roman made a few comments on how the main knight character was a moron for not seeing how the stable boy was in love with him and gasped at the twist. Virgil cuddled into Roman's arms a little more as the fighting began, and by the ending, Patton was crying, but as the next movie started, Logan could tell that everyone was enjoying themselves. 

With the second movie, Logan found himself a little bit lost in the plot, but overall, he enjoyed it, and by the way, he could hear the small gasps and squeals when something dangerous happened, he thought the others were enjoying it as well.

He was glad they had ended on a comedy, and Patton couldn't stop squealing about how cute everyone was. Roman let out an exasperated "Finally!" When the main characters announced how they felt towards each other, and then instantly facepalmed as conflict inevitably arose again. But the ending was nice, and the group stumbled out of the library, still in their fancy clothing, satisfied and happy.

"Promise me," Roman said laughing. "We'll never be so stupid to fight over absolutely nothing." 

"I hate it when characters could have all the context if they had just listened for two seconds longer," Virgil complained, but he was holding Logan's hand and didn't seem at all worried about someone seeing, or making Logan uncomfortable. Logan felt oddly relaxed as well, a warm content feeling flooding his body.

"I would have to agree." Logan laughed. "Why wouldn't you just communicate your feelings? That seems so much easier than getting into an argument." He paused. "But you all enjoyed the movies, right?" Patton nodded quickly.

"Logan, this was perfect! I couldn't have imagined a better first date."

"Seconded." Virgil held up a hand.

"Thirded." Roman held up his hand as well.

"Thirded isn't a thing, Roman." But Logan was smiling and laughing along with the group.

Everything felt... it felt right.


	37. The Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Feeling guilty, slight initialized homophobia if you squint, sadness, sad Pat, Logan is a smart boi, mentions of Love Languages. I'm trying to write shorter chapters, so these next few won't really be 3000 words.

Patton woke up in the bed at the hotel, the other three around him. For a moment, his heart stopped, as he thought the night before had been a wonderful wonderful dream, but then he saw the fancy outfits that had been thrown to the ground without a second thought by Roman and Virgil, the first of whom demanded cuddles, and the latter so tired that he looked like he would fall asleep standing up. Logan had, of course, folded the outfits carefully on the desk. They were lucky they had made it into more comfortable clothes before collapsing into bed in a mess of grateful mumbles and smiles.

Patton carefully detached himself from the cuddle puddle they had made in the bed and watched as the other three shifted in their sleep, before settling back into dreaming once more. Patton smiled softly before going to the bathroom and closing the door, deciding to take a bath before the other three woke up.

He tried to be as quiet as he could in getting the water, hoping not to wake the others. He let himself to slip inside once the tub was full of warm water and bubbles, and allowed his mind to wander. He expected to replay the events of last night over and over in his head, and for a few moments, he did, replaying his first kiss.

He doubted the others had realized how monumental that had been, how easy, and how wonderful that quick moment was. He loved the fact that it was quick, that it was a moment that he and Logan had shared. He wondered if that was going to be how kissing Roman and Virgil would be like. 

Then his brain took a turn into something that made his stomach churn. What would his father think? He was here, kissing boys, going to fight a witch. That realization was like a punch to the gut. The paradise of last night had completely wiped his mind of the real reason they were on this journey. The witch. The witch was the reason they were here. The reason that Patton fell in love with his friends. The reason that he wanted to fix his relationship with his father.

But his father would never approve. Especially not for multiple boyfriends.

Patton had, once, years ago, tried to talk to his father about his feelings towards boys. His father hadn't been mean and hadn't made Patton feel unheard, but there was something about it that made Patton think his father didn't think it mattered. Patton would always have been at home, locked away, kept from anyone else who could hurt him. That included boys or potential boyfriends. He swallowed thickly.

He was being unreasonable, he decided as he leaned back, pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes. The high of last night was bound to leave the low of the morning. He couldn't help how guilty he felt, though. He should have been smart enough to at least leave a note. His father would worry. He would worry, and Patton would never be able to leave the house again.

He would never be able to see his boyfriends again.

He was thankful for the water that surrounded him because he couldn't tell if he was crying or not. He hoped that it wouldn't show when the others saw him. He took a few deep breaths. He just had to get through today. Just one day at a time. He could do this! 

Right?

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Patton left the bathroom, the other three were awake, Logan sitting on the bed, fully dressed and Virgil packing his things in the bag he brought. Patton could hear soft singing from the other bathroom, supposedly Roman. Logan looked up with a smile.

"Good morning, Patton. Did you sleep well?" Patton nodded.

"Yeah! Last night was great, Logan. Thank you for taking us!" Patton went over to the desk, finishing up his own clothing he had used over the past few days. It was nice to have something clean to wear. "How did you sleep?"

"It was very pleasant, though I assume we're going to be tired today."

"You can say that again," Virgil grumbled, but he was smiling. "Though it was really fun. I want to do it again sometime."

"Same here!" Roman announced as the door opened, and he walked out, his hair still wet. "But we really should get a move on before Specs over here starts complaining about how much time we've lost galavanting around the city." 

"I'm almost done packing, Sir-Sing-A-Lot, give me a second." Virgil grinned, shaking his head. Patton hurried as well, not really caring if his clothing got rumpled in the bag. Logan rolled his eyes.

"I resent that statement, I will not be complaining!" Logan folded his arms.

"Uh, yes you will." Roman mirrored Logan's stance. "You like being on schedule, I saw one of your notebooks, you planned out this whole trip weeks ago, and we are very behind." Logan froze before blushing.

"That's adorable!" Patton realized he was speaking before he could stop himself, and Logan glanced over, his eyes wide.

"I know, right?" Roman grinned, putting an arm around Logan's shoulders. "Adorable."

"I am not." But he sounded more like a defensive child than he probably expected to.

"You kind of are, Lo." Virgil slung his bag over his shoulder. "And I'm ready to go if everyone else is. Though, we should stop and say goodbye to Holly before we leave." Patton grabbed his own bag as well.

"Yeah, I'm ready!" He announced to the group, and the others smiled.

"Let us continue on our adventure!" Roman picked up his own bag from by the door where he had left it. He must have packed it before he had taken a bath. He also grabbed Logan's, though Logan muttered that it wasn't really necessary. 

The group said their goodbyes and left the town as quickly as they could. Despite Logan's protests that he wasn't complaining, he did try to herd them on their way a little faster than Patton probably would have liked, but soon they found themselves on the outside of the city, walking at a more leisurely pace than before. And then, suddenly, Patton was struck with the complete awkwardness of it all.

They had all gone on a date the night before. And now they were back to walking as if nothing had happened. Almost as if nothing changed. But something had definitely changed, they were dating now, and obviously, everyone felt the same. No one had even tried touching each other yet, Roman was abnormally quiet, Logan was glancing around at the other three a little more than he normally would, and Virgil's eyes were trained on the ground. It was almost as if the familiarity of going through the motions like they normally did was making everything they did last night almost like a dream.

Roman broke the silence first, looking to the rest of the group. "Uh... it looks like it might rain later, so we might have to stop a little earlier than usual."

"Dang!" Patton said, a little more expressive than normal. "I hope it doesn't get too cold." He cringed. He sounded like some old person who needed fifteen blankets to survive.

"I hope it doesn't storm," Virgil said softly.

"If it does, we can all hide out in the tent." Logan gave Virgil a caring smile, before holding out a hand. Virgil took it, looking away from Logan, but Patton and Roman were on his other side, and they could both tell Virgil was blushing. The hand-holding made everything a little more normal, but it wasn't by much, and they lapsed into silence again.

Patton had been really hoping that the conversation they would have today would take his mind off his horrible thoughts in the bath that morning, but the silence just gave him time to wallow. He closed his eyes before taking a deep breath.

"Uh..." He started, and the others looked up. "I just... we seem so awkward now." He laughed, hoping that pointing it out could maybe fix it.

"I was expecting it to be a little like this today," Logan admitted.

"Is it normal?" Virgil asked, and everyone looked to Logan. Logan just looked back with the same blank expression.

"Why are you all looking at me?" He asked.

"Because you're the smartest of all of us, and have the most information." Roman gave a small smile.

"I'm going to be honest, I've never been in a relationship like this before. I don't believe any of us have." The other three nodded. "But I will say this, I don't really care how long it takes for us to become comfortable with the normal every-day of our relationship. I would gladly do it for as long as it takes because I care about each of you immensely. So we can take our time." Patton smiled, feeling more comfortable with the whole situation. At least he wasn't making it weird for Logan or the others.

"Do we want to play the game, or do we want to talk?" Roman offered, bringing some form of normality back. Patton shifted.

"What would we talk about?" Roman bit the inside of his cheek.

"Well, I think something equally as romantic as we feel," He winked at Virgil, who snickered. "So what about Love Languages?"

"What are those?" Virgil relaxed a little, and Roman puffed out his chest.

"They are the types of ways that you feel the most loved!" Virgil blinked a few times, before looking at Logan.

"There are five different primary ways that people tend to show love. Certain people end up reacting more favorably to a few than others." He explained, and Patton smiled.

"That's so cute!" He clapped. "So, what are ours?"

"Well, I'm aware of a thought experiment that should let us know which one we prefer if you would like to do that?"

"That sounds cool," Virgil admitted.

"I'm completely in!" Roman agreed.

"Give us the situations!" Patton grinned at Logan who smiled back and took a breath. Patton noticed that he was blushing under the attention, the faint dusting of pink distracting Patton for a few moments before Logan began to explain.

"The idea here is that you have to order which date you would prefer to go on, and which date sounds the most like what you would do.

"First, you get to the restaurant, and they open the door for you. They pull out your chair and help you order if you don't understand the menu. When you are done with your food, they walk you back to your home, making sure that you got there safely." Patton looked to Roman, who was nodding along. That sounded a lot like part of the date last night, or what Patton assumed to be Roman's part.

"The second date, you get to the restaurant, and they compliment you on both your attire and the choice in food. When the food arrives, they ask to have some of your food, and they compliment your choice. When the date is over, they tell you how good of a time they had.

"The third date, when you get to the restaurant, you have a deep meaningful conversation. When the food arrives, you end up doing more talking than eating. After, you go for a long walk before going home, talking about everything, and nothing in particular.

"The fourth date, when you get to the restaurant, they hug you. When you get inside, they hold your hand before the food comes. When the food does come, they ask you if you want any of theirs, and feed you. After the date, they walk you home, hand in hand once more.

"The last one, when you get to the restaurant, they surprise you with a rose. When you get inside, they tell you about their job, and when the food comes, they insist on paying. When you go home, they give you a box of chocolates before you part ways." He looked to the group again.

"Now, out of those dates, which one do you feel you would be the most likely to do, and which date would you enjoy the most? You can have the same answer."

"I think I would definitely do the first date." Roman folded his arms thinking, and I think I would enjoy either the last or the second one best. The second one was the one with the compliments, right?" Logan nodded. "Yeah, that one or the last one."

"I'd probably do the second one, though I don't really know," Patton admitted. "And... I think I would enjoy the third one the most!"

"Out of those?" Virgil rubs his arm. "Where's the hide-in-the-bathroom-throwing-up option?" The others laugh softly, and he thinks about it. "I guess, if we're going with the spirit of the question, the fourth one would be the one I would do, and I like the first one or the second one?" He said it as more of a question than an answer, but Logan nodded.

"I tend to lean towards the third option, and I tend to enjoy the fourth one, even though it sometimes doesn't seem like I would." He relaxes a little as he goes over it in his head. 

"Alright, this is excellent! Roman seems to show his love through acts of service, doing things for other people, and his love language is either words of affirmation or receiving gifts. Patton seems to show love through compliments and feels loved when people spend quality time with him, Virgil shows love through physical touch and enjoys either words of affirmation or acts of service. We tend to match in a lot of different areas, which is positive." He looked to the others. "And now we know how to show how much we care about each other."

"I cannot wait to shower everyone with compliments!" Patton squealed. "I don't care if it's you love language or not, you deserve it because you're the best!" And he meant it.

"I would also like to point out," Logan looked to the others, "That you can have multiple love languages, like Virgil or Roman, and you might not be opposed to the others. For example, while physical touch isn't one of my main love languages, I do not dislike physical contact, I tend to enjoy it, actually." Virgil relaxed a little, and Patton nodded.

"So this is just a suggestion?" Logan nodded.

"And hopefully, it can make us all a little more comfortable." He added. "Though I will say again, I don't mind if it takes us a while to get used to this new normal. I'm happy just being here with you."

They went back to the silence after that, but it was much less awkward, as Roman reached out and put an arm around Patton's waist. Patton leaned into him and reached out to take Virgil's hand. They walked arm in arm, not doing anything in particular, just enjoying each other's company. And Patton's thoughts stilled, deciding that it didn't matter what his father would think. This was his thing to have. He was going to enjoy it.


	38. The Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: this chapter is sPICY, especially at the end. Nothing I don't think would change the rating, but it's teasing, and nicknames, and overall really adorable. Mention of sexual positions, use of terms like bottom and top, Virgil is a bottom, honestly, they're just really really cute.

The group learned fairly quickly about Roman's fondness for pet names. After their conversation the day before, the awkwardness had melted into general affection, and Roman had brought it out full force, using a different set of names for each person so you knew exactly who he was talking to.

Logan's was the easiest to recognize. Roman had seemed to assign him the pet names of Starlight, or Moonlight. It never failed to make Logan blush, but for some reason, Virgil didn't feel the need to copy Roman. They were allowed to have their own things, and he could just enjoy the aftermath. The stuttering for a few moments before Logan pulled himself together, the way his eyes would widen no matter how much Roman would say it, the way he would look away, only to accidentally look at one of his other boyfriends, and bite his lip, a glimpse into the awkward interior he would hide.

The group hadn't been aware that Roman could speak Spanish, so when, the night before, he had slipped up after Patton had fallen into a giggling fit at a joke Roman made, saying, "Eres tan lindo pequeño lobo," everyone was surprised. 

"I didn't know you spoke Spanish?" Logan said in awe. Roman rubbed the back of his neck.

"We all had language tutors as kids, Remus chose to learn German because of the amount of swear words he could learn." He explained quickly.

"That was so pretty! What did you say?" Patton leaned forward, and Roman glanced away.

"I... I uh..." He trailed off.

"Aww, he's blushing." Virgil pointed out, as smug as he could.

"Shush, emo nightmare." Roman folded his arms before sighing. "I said, you are so cute, little wolf."

"Aww, Roman!" Patton put a hand to his heart. "That's adorable!" And thus, Roman started calling Patton, among other pet names like sweetheart or honey (Though those were rarer), Pequeño lobo.

"Now I need a nickname for you!" Roman announced as they walked on the path the next day, turning his head to Virgil. Virgil laughed.

"Uh, no. I'm good, thank you." Roman paused, and for a moment, Virgil wondered if he had actually put Roman off. He thought it was adorable, the nicknames for the others, but Virgil would rather be caught dead than to admit that he wanted one too. He was about to take back his statement before Roman perked up again.

"I know, how about Charlie Frown?" Virgil couldn't help but laugh.

"First, my name isn't Charlie, second, really? That's the best you could come up with?" 

"It's sort of cute." Darius mused, and Virgil rolled his eyes again.

"Oh shut up, Mr. I-Only-Pop-Up-When-I-Have-A-Funny-Comment." Virgil thought at Darius and was pulled out of his thoughts once again by Roman's voice.

"Help me out here, Hot Topic! What can I nickname you with?" He put an arm around Virgil's shoulders.

"Is this really needed? You can just use my name. Or the thousands of other names you call me." Virgil fake-grumbled, folding his arms.

"Come on, kids, play nice." Patton laughed, bumping the pair. Logan looked up with a soft smile.

"You do not need to baby them, Patton. I'm sure whatever they are doing is just some banter. If any feelings are hurt, I'm sure there will be some sort of communication." Patton seemed to relax a bit, but he was still watching the pair carefully.

"It needs to be something special!" Roman ignored the others, looking up to the sky. "Something beautiful. Something awe-inspiring. Something edgy. Something completely worthy of being what you answer to." Virgil snorted.

"If you talk bad about yourself-" Patton was already there, shooting Virgil a glare. Virgil held up his hands.

"I didn't say anything!" He countered, but Patton shook his head.

"Thoughts count too!"

"I didn't think anything!" Virgil protested again.

"Virgil, lying is Deceit's job." Darius chided, and Virgil's mouth twisted into a grimace.

"Okay, fine. I won't think bad about myself." He lowered his hands in defeat, and Patton gave him a firm nod.

"I don't think anyone here is getting the point, what can my pet name be for Virgil!" Roman whined as he gently took Virgil's face in his hands, squishing it around. Virgil laughed, pushing him away.

"Get off of me, creep." Roman gave him a goofy grin, and Virgil nearly melted on the spot.

"Is it really necessary to talk your thought process out loud, Roman?" Logan looked up. Today was a day where he was reading, which usually meant that he was still drained from the day before. Virgil understood the need for space and respected what the book represented, though usually there was some form of contact between the group on any given day.

"It is completely necessary," Roman announced. "We must find the perfect name for our resident edge lord." Virgil rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." He gave Roman a smirk, the challenge clear in his voice. Roman raised his eyebrows before grinning back, making Virgil's stomach do flip flops. A clear acceptance of the trial that Virgil was giving him. For the rest of the day, he kept hurling new nicknames at Virgil, and Virgil would just shake his head. 

"Sweetheart?"

"No, that makes more sense for Patton."

"Sugar?"

"Once again, makes more sense for Patton."

"Dark Knight?"

"Doesn't really roll off the tongue."

"Mister sexy pants?"

"Really, Roman?"

"Baby?"

"Gods no."

"Daddy." Virgil choked on air, turning to look at Roman who was laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face!" Patton had a fist covering his mouth, but Virgil could tell he was smiling, and Logan's book was a little higher upon his face.

"I'm going to murder you." Virgil folded his arms, looking away.

"While I do not condone violence, I would say that in the limited experience I have had with Virgil, I don't think that's the part of the bunk bed he chooses if you understand what I mean." Logan cleared his throat, giving Virgil a look. Virgil nearly froze.

"Part of the...?" Patton looked at the ground confused, before making a soft Oh-ing sound. "Are you saying Virgil's a bottom?" And as soon as Virgil had evicted the blood rushing to his face, it was back again. He glared at Logan and then at Patton. Roman just burst out laughing, a hand covering his face.

"Shut up." Virgil buried his face in his hands, trying not to look at his boyfriends.

"The few moments we had interactions of that sort, yes, he appeared to prefer a more submissive role." Virgil could hear the smile in Logan's voice.

"Are you two going off in the middle of the night to make out without telling us?" Roman teased, poking Virgil's arm.

"I will end you." Virgil still didn't look up, but the conversation seemed to be continuing as if he hadn't just given them very helpful input.

"No, there was a moment before, when I was teaching him how to read, where I accidentally said something that could have been taken in a romantic or sexual context. He seemed to enjoy it, so I continued." Logan explained.

"What did you say?" Patton asked, leaning in.

"I called him a good boy." Logan laughed softy, and Roman's eyes widened with a dangerous glint as he looked over at Virgil.

"No. No, no, no, no, no. I'd prefer mister sexy pants." He waved his hands quickly.

"Sure you would," Roman smirked. "That's adorable."

"Logan, I thought we had an agreement." Virgil turned to Logan, folding his arms, but he hoped Logan wouldn't think that he was actually mad.

"What agreement? I don't recall agreeing to something?"

"You wouldn't talk about what happened during those reading sessions, and I wouldn't kiss you while you were talking." Virgil blushed when he realized what had come out of his mouth. Roman was cackling now, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Patton was giggling, but it was slowly getting out of control. Now both Virgil and Logan were blushing. 

"There is nothing to be ashamed of about being, how Patton calls it, a bottom. Roman is a bottom." Logan folds his arms, and Roman gasped, standing upright.

"Logan!"

"This isn't secret information!" Logan threw up his hands, looking at the other three in exasperation, the book disappears.

"I am not a bottom." Roman folded his arms. "I am a switch, thank you very much. I kissed you first!" Logan massaged his forehead.

"Initiation of an interaction doesn't mean that you are a top or a switch, and there really isn't anything wrong with being a bottom!" He looked up at the rest of the group. They stared at each other for a full minute before everyone, including Virgil and Logan, burst into laughter, ending up holding onto each other to be able to keep standing up.

"You guys are the best," Roman announced, before making sure everyone was steady enough to continue walking.

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They set up camp fairly slowly that night, not in any real hurry. The tent was up before Roman had finished collecting the wood, and since Patton couldn't start to make dinner before Roman was back, Virgil was sent to help him. Virgil glanced around for the haughty prince, but accidentally slipped on a patch of moss he hadn't seen. He yelped but found that suddenly, there were strong, warm arms around him, and he looked up into the eyes of Roman.

"Well, it looks like my beautiful darling needed saving." He smiled.

"Are you going to help me up?" Virgil fought through the blush blazing on his cheeks, and Roman tilted his head.

"I don't know, I am enjoying the view." He teased, but he helped Virgil right himself. Virgil tried to hide his blush as well as he could, but he could tell that Roman saw it. "Were you sent to help me?"

"Yeah," Virgil cleared his throat. "Uh, Logan and I finished the tent early, so I wanted to see if you needed any help." Roman smiled.

"Thank you, my love. I wouldn't mind some assistance, actually. I found a large pile of sticks, and I was kind of hoping to bring them all back, just in case next time we stop for camp there's nothing." He looked back to Virgil, who swallowed. He couldn't tell if Roman had caught on, but if he hadn't Virgil certainly wasn't going to make it clearer for him. "Are you alright, darling?" Unless he was.

"Uh, yeah! Wood, and stuff. I can help, yeah." He quickly rushed out, and Roman smiled.

"Are you sure? You're all red, my love." He took a step forward, and Virgil squeaked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! Just, let's get the wood!" He was talking too loud, and he tried to move past Roman. Roman caught his wrist and twirled Virgil to meet him, pressing them close together. Virgil's breath caught, and even though his instinct was to move away, he didn't. They stood there for a few moments, locked in place by the moment.

"I want to kiss you again," Roman said softly as one of his hands reached up to cup Virgil's cheek. Virgil didn't know why he wasn't expecting that, but he wasn't. That didn't mean he didn't desperately want to, so he nodded. Despite the motion of consent, Roman didn't do anything for a few moments, studying Virgil's face, his eyes and thumb tracing the younger boy's lips.

"Roman, I swear to the gods-" Virgil started but was suddenly cut off by Roman's finger pulling away, and his lips pressed against Virgil's. Virgil kissed back, and despite the position they were in, the kiss was mostly slow and testing. Soft and warm and comforting, not as quick or passionate as he had expected. It was the good kind of surprise, the one that made Virgil melt and smile and lean into Roman's touch. Roman's arms went around his waist, and for one of the first times, Virgil realized that he was allowed to want this. He was allowed to touch Roman and hold Roman and kiss Roman. 

They stayed like that for a few moments, kissing softly and sweetly, before they heard someone clearing their throat behind them. They pulled apart quickly and turned to see Logan and Patton standing there, Logan's arms folded, and Patton grinning from ear to ear.

"How long have you been standing there?" Virgil asked quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Long enough," Logan said simply, but he was smiling.

"Do you need help with carrying the wood back?" Patton asked quickly, reaching over and picking up part of the pile of sticks. Roman nodded quickly, before picking up a sizable portion as well. Virgil and Logan joined in, taking what was left, and they started to make their way back. Roman touched Virgil's shoulder, and kissed his cheek, before stopping at his ear.

"I'm so glad I get to kiss you now, my darling," Roman whispered, and Virgil shivered. "I'd like to do it more tonight if you would be so kind as to take first watch with me?" Virgil swallowed and managed to gather his voice enough to force out a coherent thought.

"Uh, yeah, I'd... I'd really like that."

"Good boy." Roman playfully nipped at his ear before drawing back and walking on the path. Virgil was going to both kill and kiss Logan for bringing that up, but for now, he hurried along with the wood in his hands, exited for what Roman had in store for him that night.


	39. The Pond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mostly fluff, maybe spicy at a small point with one line? But nothing insane. Small flash to the city that Esseray took over at the end, but nothing disturbing, mentions of lies. Enjoy this cuteness while it lasts because there's one more chapter before they get to the castle! (What? Plot? In this fanfic? Insane!)

"It's so hot!" Patton whined, leaning on Logan's shoulder.

"Our combined body heat isn't going to make it any cooler, Patton." Logan rolled his eyes, but Patton just giggled, lacing their fingers together.

"Yeah, but it'll make me feel better." Logan relaxed a little.

"Then I suppose there is no harm done." He cleared his throat, looking to the side.

"It is unbearably hot. How are you still in that thing?" Roman asked, looking to Virgil, who was still in the hoodie Logan had given him.

"It's not that bad, you're just a royal baby." Virgil stuck out his tongue, but he was sweating. Patton always had some form of air conditioning, so he had never gotten stuck with this kind of heat before, but now he was starting to see some of the drawbacks of staying outside.

"What do people usually do when the sun has waged war on the earth?" Patton asked, looking to Virgil mostly.

"Well, we used to go to a pool or something." Virgil shrugged. "Though I'm not sure where we would find a pool out-"

"Found one!" Roman pointed to where, further down the road, there was a beautiful clear pond. Virgil stuttered for a few moments before shaking his head. 

"You know what, yeah, that works." Virgil blinked a few times. Roman was already taking off his shirt, walking over to the pool quickly.

"Come on, then! We can take a break now and just make up the time later tonight." He called to the others. Logan paused before turning to the other two. Patton only hesitated for a moment before sprinting over to where Roman was taking off his pants, moving to undo his shirt as well. Virgil looked to Logan.

"Everything alright?" Logan nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Yes. I'm fine." His voice was somewhat clipped.

"Are you sure? You don't have to swim if you don't want to." Logan gave him a small smile. It was sweet how nervous he was.

"I swear, I am fine. I actually enjoy swimming. You just..." He paused. "You just have to promise not to think less of me."

"What, do you swim weird?" Virgil raised an eyebrow.

"I do not 'swim weird'." Logan huffed, folding his arms as the pair started moving to the shore.

"Cold!" Patton shrieked, laughing as he stepped into the water.

"I warned you, pequeño lobo. It's going to be cold for a bit." Roman walked in too, grinning. It was nice and cool against the hot sun, and he turned to Patton, who was wading deeper. "Do you know how to swim?" He spoke as the thought dawned on him.

"Uh... sort of? I kind of assumed it's like riding a bike. I knew it once, so I'll kind of remember as I go, right?" Patton turned around with a smile. "And if I don't, my wonderful hero boyfriend will just have to save me!" Roman laughed.

"Of course I will! Just stay by me, and you will be as safe as a..." He trailed off. "As a person in really protective armor." He concluded, striking his pose again. 

"Logan, Virgil! The water is really cold!" Patton called out, waving to the pair. Logan went behind a rock to change, but Virgil didn't seem to really mind, taking off his jacket and shirt and putting them in a pile near his clothes. And suddenly, Patton was staring, because Virgil was muscular. Much more than Patton had expected. He always kept himself covered with something, whether it is a shirt or a blanket, and it dawned on Patton that this was one of the first times he'd seen anyone around him even remotely close to getting fully naked.

"Wow, Hot Topic!" Roman whistled at Virgil, who looked up suddenly, his face flushing.

"I, uh..." He looked at his collar at the tattoo he had there, before looking at the others. "Should I put my shirt back on?"

"Don't you dare," Roman reached out a hand. "Now get in here before you die of heatstroke."

"Drama queen." But Virgil slowly entered the water, dipping a toe in first to make sure it wasn't unbearably cold. When he deemed it good enough, he slipped in next to Patton and Roman, both of which had the clear water up to their shoulders. Logan came around the rock, a long strip of fabric wrapped around his chest, slightly obscured by his arms. Virgil tried not to stare, not wanting Logan to feel uncomfortable, but suddenly his anxiety made a little more sense. 

"Logan!" Patton grinned, either not noticing, not caring, or doing a very good job of pretending that he didn't. "Do you know how to swim?"

"I do," Logan said tentatively, before looking up and sighing. "Patton, you cannot swim with your glasses on." Patton grinned.

"Why not? I can clean them while I'm having fun!" And with that, Patton dove under the water.

"I don't believe that's how that- and he's gone." Logan laughed before turning to Virgil and Roman, the latter of which quickly turned to Virgil and pushed water his way, before diving in and swimming away.

"Oh, you're gonna get it, Princey!" Virgil growled, diving in as well, swimming and grabbing Roman's ankle, pulling him up to the surface, and splashing him back. Just as Logan was about to join them, Patton pulled up, gasping for air, and laughing.

"Hey, Logan! The view down here is awesome!" He wiped at his face before pausing. "Oh, that's why you don't swim with glasses on." His glasses were covered with water droplets, obviously obscuring Patton's vision. The droplets were starting to drip down as if the glasses themselves were crying.

"I have a rag I can clean them with after." Logan held out a hand, and Patton carefully handed the lenses to him. Logan quickly swam to the shore with his things, placing the glasses next to his own.

"How do people see without their glasses?" Patton said in awe, shaking his head.

"Are you nearsighted or farsighted?" Patton looked up confused.

"I have trouble seeing things far away?" He tilted his head, and Logan nodded.

"So do I." He swam over to Patton, looking over to the blurry figures who were play fighting in the water. He wasn't totally blind without his glasses, but Virgil and Roman had turned into black and red blobs.

"You know what blurry vision is good for, though?" Patton turned to Logan, and Logan tilted his head.

"What?" Patton's eyes glinted and swam to a part of the pond where he could easily lean against it, allowing his body to float up.

"Cloud gazing!" He looked over to Logan, who smiled back, swimming over to Patton and leaning his head back to look at the sky as well. "That one looks like a duck!" Patton giggled, pointing up to a particularly fluffy one.

Virgil shrieked with laughter as Roman pelted him once again with a small wave of water.

"Cheater!" He called out.

"Sore loser!" Roman grinned, and suddenly, Virgil was gone. For a split second, Roman froze, looking around.

Then, someone landed on his shoulders, laughing.

"Get off of me!" Roman laughed, waving around, thankful that the water was shallow enough for him to stand upon.

"Nope, I have you in my grasp now!" Virgil folded his arms around Roman's eyes, laughing.

"I can't see!" Roman yelped as he slipped, and both boys ended up falling back into the water. They landed with a splash, and both swam to the surface, sputtering.

"Don't hurt yourselves!" Patton called from where he and Logan were still looking at the clouds. 

"We won't!" Roman called back, before turning back to Virgil. "Everything still intact?"

"Fortunately for you, I still have all my limbs." Virgil nodded, before quickly splashing Roman again.

"No fair, I was worried about you, and you used my weakness against me!" Roman whined as Virgil dived into the water. He popped up a few feet away, grinning.

"Too slow, so sad, too bad!" He taunted.

"Oh, I'm going to get you for that!" Roman dove in as well.

"Hey, Logan?" Patton turned so he was looking at Logan. Logan turned as well.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." Patton's voice was soft, and Logan couldn't help but smile.

"For what, Patton?"

"For being so smart and handsome and amazing." Patton leaned a little forward, resting his head on Logan's shoulder.

"Patton, while that is sweet, you do not have to thank me for being myself." Logan laughed softly, and Patton giggled.

"I know. But you deserve so much, and I'm sorry that I can't give it to you." Patton's voice was small, and Logan adjusted them both so they were, once again, looking at each other.

"Patton, you know you are just as wonderful as I am, maybe even more, right?" Patton laughed, but it was distant.

"Yeah." He was lying, and Logan knew it.

"Patton, you are wonderful and sweet. You have helped us all out in a myriad of ways, whether it be because you were defending us in battle, or helping us out with our feelings. You are fascinating and sweet, and I couldn't imagine a world where I meet you and don't instantly want to kiss you and make you feel loved." Patton blushed, squirming under Logan's intense gaze and his words.

"Thank you." His voice was soft but genuine.

"Do you believe me?" Logan asked, brushing a strand of wet hair out of Patton's face. Patton thought about it for a few moments before realizing that, yes, he did believe Logan.

"I... I do." He looked to Logan again and realized how close they were. Logan also seemed to realize it, but he didn't move away.

"Patton, may I kiss you?" Instead of answering, Patton surged forward, scraping lightly against the edge of the pond, and capturing Logan's lips with his own. They kissed for a few moments before they heard playful screeching again, and quickly broke away to look at their other boyfriends. Roman had tackled Virgil to the grass now, pinning his hands above his head.

"Roman, get off of me!" Virgil struggled, but it was only half-hearted.

"What did you say before?" Roman teased, leaning down. "Nope! I have you in my grasp now." He leaned down to Virgil's ear. "Completely at my mercy." Virgil froze, his struggling stopping for a few moments, his face flushing, and Roman felt a surge of possessive pride for making him react like that.

"Well, you two seem to be having a good time." Logan and Patton were swimming closer, and Roman grinned up.

"We were playing a game, and it appears I have won," Roman announced proudly, nodding his head to Virgil. "And what did we say the winner would get?"

"Shut up!" Virgil flushed again, turning his head away.

"What does the winner get?" Patton tilted his head, and Roman grinned.

"A kiss!" And Roman leaned down, kissing Virgil. Logan laughed softly, watching Virgil lean up to meet him in the middle, even though he was pretending to be disinterested. When they pulled away, Roman got off of Virgil, and even though Virgil pretended to be relieved, he was slightly disappointed.

"We should continue moving." Logan pointed out, looking to the sky. "I think we've been here for at least an hour, and I don't believe we want to be walking for too much longer tonight."

"An hour?" Patton asked, eyes wide. "That felt like seconds!" He folded his arms but stepped out of the water. The heat was a little more bearable now, and the group quickly got dressed again.

"I'm glad we had fun." Logan looked around before digging a few sticks into the ground. "Now, when we get back, we will know that this is the pond we stopped at, and we should stop here again."

"That sounds awesome!" Patton squealed. 

"Heck yeah!" Roman pumped a fist.

"I'm down. This was really fun." Virgil slung his bag over his shoulder, looking to the rest of the group.

"Everyone ready to go?" Logan asked, and the group gave one last look to the beautiful pond before nodding.

"Ready." Patton took a step forward, and they were moving forward once again.

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Missy walked around the border. Esseray had specifically asked for her to check the perimeter for any way in that she wouldn't know about, making sure that when the group came, they would have to be announced to Esseray first.

Missy had no intention of doing that.

She was walking outside, where she knew no one could see her, and since Esseray had been in bed when she had come to report for duty, she was sure that her mistress wouldn't be watching her. Missy carefully took the knife out of her bag and cut a human-sized hole, enough for a person to crawl through, in the side, just out of sight of the guards. It led to an alleyway, where she had already left a note. She smiled at her handiwork, before turning back to the woods. She needed to find some way for the boys to follow this road instead of the actual one that leads to the village.

She looked in her bag before sighing. She had been saving these, just in case, but she supposed now was the best time to use them. She lay small white stones through the woods and to the path. They were enchanted so that when someone of Missy's choosing came through, they would light up. She hoped it would be enough of a sign for them to not go through the gates. She quickly finished the perimeter check, and then made a beeline for the shop she knew Christopher resided at.

"Chris!" She called out. "It's me!" She looked around the room. "It's just me." She added as she saw brown eyes peeking from upstairs. She smiled at the boy, who quickly scuttled upstairs, as she heard footsteps coming down.

"Missy." Christopher had a small smile on, but he looked tired. "How are you, today?"

"Good enough to dance." Missy laughed, sitting down on a chair Christopher pulled out. "How are you?"

"Tired," Christ answered honestly. "It's been a long day. I've been worried." He turned more fully to look at the girl. "Missy... how is she?"

"We're not sure, but I'm sure the group is totally fine. They're powerful, and your kid in particular is strong and smart. I'm sure they'll be amazing." She put a hand over his. He gave her a small smile.

"Thank you for looking out for her." His voice broke slightly, and she wanted to give him a hug, but she knew that she didn't really have time to stay here for long.

"Anything for a friend, Chris, really."

"And thank you for telling her not to come here." Guilt curled in Missy's gut as she recalled the dream with Logan she was able to get away with. She had told him not to go to the city, warned him that it was dangerous, but he had been stubborn. He had told her that he was going no matter what.

That wasn't what she had told Christopher, though.

"Of course." She smiled at him, before looking out the window of the shop. "I should..." She trailed off, and Christopher nodded.

"Of course, of course." He paused as she got up. "Thank you, again." She shook her head.

"Seriously, it's nothing. Stay safe, okay, Chris? Don't pull another stunt as you did with that gift."Christopher winced, and she left quickly.

There was more to do before their saviors arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always appreciate comments, bookmarks, and kudos, thank you to everyone who has looked at this fic, read it through, or gave kudos. We hit 500 hits, and that made me unbelievably happy, so thank you all so much!


	40. The Pact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: ITS SO FLUFFY IM GOING TO DIE OH MY GODS. I wrote this in littlespace, and little me doesn't seem to understand about sadness and conflict, just so everyone is aware. This is one of the last chapters that I would consider 100% fluffy, next chapter is when we're getting to actually stuff! But the only trigger warning I would say is swearing.

"I had an idea," Logan started, looking to the group around the dancing fire. The sun had gone down about an hour before, but none of them had wanted to go to bed just yet.

"What's up?" Roman shifted, and now, everyone was looking at Logan. Logan cleared his throat.

"We're getting closer to the city." He said simply. "I just... this is going to sound very weird, but I would enjoy it if I could go to everyone and tell you all what I adore about you." His hands were fidgeting in his lap, and he looked up to the others.

"I'm in, but only if I can join you!" Roman announced, looking over to Patton and Virgil.

"That's so cute!" Patton squealed, before nodding. "And yeah! If you don't mind, I'll also join in with the compliments!" Virgil shifted.

"I mean... uh... yeah, I guess?" He moved a little closer to the fire, and Logan smiled, reaching one arm out. Virgil quickly scampered over to him, allowing Logan to pull him in.

"I want to go first!" Roman announced, before looking to the others. "If that's okay, Logan. I know it was your idea, but there's so much I want to say!" Logan laughed.

"Go ahead, Roman." 

"Patton!" Roman turned more fully towards Patton, and Patton grinned. "I love how energetic you are, and how loving you are all the time. You always try to put others first, and I find that so admirable." Patton made a soft awwing noise. "I love how powerful you can get, you know how to defend yourself and others, and I love your food, and I love it when you smile because it just lights up a room."

"Aww, Roman, that's so sweet!" Patton put a hand on his heart, and Roman's smile softened into something more dopey.

"It's all true." There was a moment of silence before Roman turned to Logan. "Logan, do you mind if I do you next?"

"Not at all."

"You're so fucking smart." Roman started, shaking his head. "I honestly don't know how someone like you exists, you're amazing in almost every way, you're sweet and careful, and a genius, and one of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." Logan's face grew hot, and he looked away. "I always feel safe with you around, and I just want you to know that we would probably all be dead if you weren't there to help us. So thank you."

"Ahem... uh... thank you, Roman." Logan was playing with the grass with his fingers, watching it carefully as if it would unlock some secrets of the universe.

"And Virgil," Virgil tensed a little. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, compliments just seemed to throw him off guard. He could deal with casual ones thrown around, but real genuine compliments always made him feel goey and soft, and while he didn't dislike the feeling (in fact, he usually enjoyed it, but that was something he would take to his grave) it always caught him off guard, no matter how prepared he was.

"Virgil," Roman repeated, completely relaxed as if the words would flow as naturally as a geyser. "I was taken with you the first moment I saw you. You didn't strike me as someone who would ever want to hurt another human being. You are one of the most thoughtful people I've ever met. You never say something without it being something someone needs to hear. And, might I add, you have the most beautiful eyes I think I have ever seen." Virgil sputtered for a few moments, before burying his face in Logan's shoulder.

"So cute." He heard Roman whisper, and he felt himself blushing harder.

"I would like to go next if you don't mind?" Logan announced, one of his hands starting to play with Virgil's hair.

"I don't mind!" Patton shifted, looking to the group again.

"Patton, you are so much smarter than you give yourself credit for. I'm not used to having actual intelligent conversations with people back home, most of the people I know are fairly self-centered and don't want to listen to my ramblings, but you always listen, and you even manage to talk to me about some of the things I enjoy the most. I always enjoy our time together, and I'm sure we have many more of those moments to come." Patton scooted closer to Logan, wrapping his arms around him. Logan lifted his other arm to accommodate Patton as well, now surrounded by his boyfriends on two sides. He laughed softly.

"Roman, you are so..." Logan trailed off, looking for the right word. "You're so capable." He finally decided, looking up to meet Roman's gaze. "You can do anything, and you seem to always know it. You're so confident, and I sometimes marvel at how you can do it all the time. You manage to do it in a way that doesn't make anyone around you feel lesser, and I find it fascinating how you carry yourself. You're amazing." Roman laughed, but grinned at Logan, blushing as well, and moving so he joined the cuddle puddle they were forming near the fire.

"Virgil, I have never met someone with the determination you have. When I started teaching you to read, I'll admit, I didn't expect it to stick." Virgil mumbled something incomprehensible into Logan's shoulder, and Logan laughed softly. "All I can say is that I am very happy that it did. You're so..." He tried to think of the right word again. "Good." He finally finished, and he heard Virgil whine softly. Logan's hand returned to Virgil's hair as he noted how relaxed Virgil felt, clinging to Logan as if he was the only life-raft in a vast ocean.

"My turn!" Patton squealed, looking at the group before smiling. "Okay, Roman! I love your passion! I love how you love your fairy tales, even if they aren't the actual ones that exist, I love how insightful you are, so much more then you want to admit, and I love how you have the best hugs!" Roman laughed.

"I think that honor goes to you, Pat." Patton shook his head.

"Nu-uh!" Patton giggled. "You have the strongest arms, and it feels like I'm swaddled in a big warm, breathing blanket! It's the best!" Patton turned to Logan.

"Logan, I love how cute you get when you're trying to figure something out, it's like you can figure out the secrets of the universe by making the right face." Logan blinked a few times, blushing. "I also love how you like to talk about things, there are some things I don't think I would bring up if you didn't open these sorts of conversations first. Roman was right, I think we all feel really safe around you."

"Thank you, Patton." Logan smiled.

"Virgil!" Virgil jumped a little, looking up. "I love how cuddly you can get. It's one of my favorite things. Even before we were dating, when we shared a watch or a bed, we would end up cuddling together in the middle of the night, and I know you always felt a little bad about it, but you shouldn't, because there's no other way I would rather wake up." Virgil bit his lip, looking away. "You're so... you're wonderful."

"T-Thank you." Virgil stuttered out, still not making eye contact. There were a few moments of silence before Virgil managed to pull himself together.

"Uh, Roman." He started, shifting a little so he was still touching Logan and Roman and Patton, but he could look at them. "You're so creative all the time. You always come up with the most interesting things to add to conversations, and they almost always manage to relate to what we were already talking about. You're so sweet all the time, and I just... you always seem to think of other people, even when those people aren't exactly the nicest." He looked away and Roman laughed.

"Patton, you're so positive all the time, and It's sometimes infectious, sometimes when I'm around you, I kind of just... believe that things are going to be okay. And you're... uh... you're really good at cuddling too." Virgil was avoiding eye contact again, starring at a tree instead of at Patton. "It's really nice. Waking up like that." Patton grinned, shifting a little so he could get a better look at Virgil.

"And Logan, you're... you're so nice. Even before, when I would hang out in your shop, you were never rude to me, even after you knew what I was doing there. And then you teach me to read, and your smile is so amazing, and you don't even seem to realize how awesome you are. Because you are." He pauses, glancing back to the group again, before looking away. "Awesome, I mean."

"Thank you," Logan said softly, and raised his arm again, inviting Virgil back into the group's warmth. He gladly accepted, leaning his head against Logan's chest. 

Moments passed in blissful silence. Patton was happy that he was here, away from any unnecessary fears, just happy with his boyfriends. Virgil was comfortable just laying there forever, Logan was thinking about the time, and while he didn't want to move, he knew that everyone was tired and should go to bed.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, Roman stood up, looking at the group. The other three looked up at him with concern.

"Runaway with me?" His voice was soft, but his words were clear. 

No one said anything, everyone too shocked. The silence pulsed in the air for a few moments.

"What?" Patton was the one to speak, surprising everyone.

"When this is over, let's not go back to the kingdom? Let's go to someplace else." Roman was tense, but he was trying to put on a smile. "Somewhere that has mazes and pools, and rainbows and a place for us. A place where we can just be ourselves." When no one said anything yet again, Roman seemed to get more desperate. "The kingdom doesn't seem like home to me anymore. I don't think it ever was. You guys are my home. I don't want to go back. I want to stay with you somewhere far away and-"

"Yes." Virgil surprised himself by saying it so easily, eyes trained on the ground. Roman froze, and everyone was looking at Virgil. "I don't want to go back to stealing. I have nowhere else to go." He got up as well, stepping beside Roman. "I'm in." 

"So am I," Patton said quickly, getting up as well. "I don't want to suppress being a wolf. I want to stay with you guys. I feel... I feel nice around you guys, and I don't want that to end." Now everyone was looking at Logan.

This was crazy. The others had to be insane. Logan had to force those thoughts to the front of his mind. They had to go home, they couldn't just run around outside the kingdom forever. They had... they had things to get back to, right? They couldn't just leave, could they? Or... or could they?

Logan let himself imagine it for a moment, a home with his boyfriends, Patton making breakfast before they would go to work, something more domestic than what was waiting for them back at home. He shouldn't let himself do anything like that, go down that road, but he had, and so here he was, imagining the wonderful world that his three favorite people were offering him. Date nights that ended with them all cuddled in the bed, or doing something more passionate, or going out to enjoy the stars, or-

"Yes." He was speaking before he realized what he was saying. "Yes. I want to go. I'm... yes." He agreed, nodding his head, standing up.

"So..." Roman trailed off. "So we're in agreement. After this is all over, we take whatever money we have, and we leave for someplace better."

"Where?" Virgil tilted his head, shifting from foot to foot.

"I'm not sure. But somewhere." Roman swallowed, squaring his shoulders. "We'll go someplace better and happier, and we'll be better and happier. We'll be together, right? There's nothing better than that." Patton reached up and kissed Roman on the cheek

"I couldn't agree more." He turned to the group. "But we all seem really tired. We can talk about it in the morning, right? We have two whole days to plan for the future!" For the first time in Logan's life, the unknown sounded promising. Sounded comforting. Sounded enjoyable.

"We should start watches and sleeping," Logan announced softly. He didn't want to separate, but he knew it was necessary. Besides, they all were exhausted, and they really needed to get a few good night's sleep before fighting Esseray. 

"Can we... instead of taking watch, can we just go in the tent?" Patton asked, and Logan wanted to say know, he knew that it was smarter to just split into two groups to take watch, but Patton looked so tired, and the group was so happy, and he couldn't help himself.

"Okay." He nodded. "That sounds... that sounds excellent."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In other news, happy birthday to me! I am officially 16! I'd just like to thank everyone who has been reading once again, you guys are awesome! :D <3


	41. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Vulnerability (if you get that reference, I very much like you.), V sad boi Logan, coming out, kind of painful memories being brought back up again, only Roman knows what's going on, but that's okay.

The two days that followed that particular night were full of promises for the future, ideas of what they could do with their time, and practicing magic. The unspoken rule between everyone was that they had to survive the fight with the witch to be able to live in that wonderful future they imagined together.

"I see the gates." Was all that Logan needed to say for everyone to stop and look ahead.

The walls were higher than Logan expected. Darker. More fortified. They looked more like a warning than an actual barrier meant to keep people out. Logan swallowed. This was really going to happen. They were really going to go into this city and fight the witch.

"Hey, what's that?" Patton asked, turning a little off the path.

"We cannot stall, Patton, we need to continue. The faster we get this done, the faster we can leave." This place made Logan uncomfortable, and he wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"I'm being serious, there's something over here..." Patton trailed off before walking in that direction. The other three followed him, though they didn't look fully convinced until they noticed a small stone, glowing, at their feet.

"Whoah..." Roman reached down and picked it up. "This is really pretty." Logan inspected the stone from where Roman was holding it up.

"It looks... magic?" Logan looked around. "This was placed here for a reason."

"Look, there's another one!" Patton said softly, pointing to where another sone had started to glow with the same soft intensity as the other one. Roman picked that one up too. They continued along the weird path that the stones led them until they found themselves at the wall. But instead of it actually being the solid wall they were expecting, they found a small hole, just big enough for one of them to crawl through.

"Do you think someone left this here?" Virgil asked, his voice careful. 

"I'm not sure... but someone should go through." Logan tapped the wall softly and turned to the group. "It doesn't look like it will fall on us, which is positive."

"I'll go!" Patton said, quickly walking over to the hole. "I can defend myself if I need to, and, if I turn into a wolf, I can move out of the way of anything falling on me." No one seemed to like it, but they didn't have a lot of time to protest, as Patton quickly slipped into the city. There were a few moments of silence before Patton peeked his head back out of the hole.

"Everything looks okay! I don't see anyone, but there is a note here!" Roman nodded before entering the hole as well, followed by Virgil, and then Logan. They stood in an alleyway that seemed miraculously away from any guards who would have stopped them from entering the city.

Logan picked up the note that Patton was holding, and surveyed it. It had messy handwriting, he would have to focus a little more than usual to figure what was being said out. He took a deep breath and began.

"Dear adventurers. I hope this note has found you before the guards find you, or it, I suppose. I am a friend, though I cannot tell you who I am. This place is closely guarded, and if Esseray is to find me or you, the found party will most likely be destroyed. Please be careful as you go on your way, if any of you have glamor magic, this would be the time to use it. If not, just stay out of sight. Do not, under any circumstances, let someone see you in the town until you are ready to fight. Best of luck to you, don't let me down. Signed, A Friend." Logan read out loud softly, before looking around to see if anyone was watching them. No one seemed to be.

"Does anyone know what glamor magic is?" Virgil asked, looking more on edge than before.

"It's magic that masks one's identity to an almost untraceable degree," Logan explained. "It's an easy way to become invisible in plain sight, though I don't think any of us have that ability." Virgil sighed.

"We'll just have to be careful, then." Roman tried to comfort Virgil, but Virgil didn't seem to allow himself to relax.

"Right. We should get moving to someplace safer than near a hole in the wall." Virgil folded his arms, and the rest of the group nodded. They started moving, making sure that no one was able to see them by peeking out of alleyways and darting between them. 

They made it a few blocks down that way before they noticed a group of three in the alley they had snuck into. Quickly, the group ducked behind a garbage can, but they were close enough to hear what the three people were saying.

"-Aren't supposed to be here!" The boy was saying in a hushed tone, glancing around worriedly. He looked maybe about Virgil's age, just a little younger than Patton or Roman, with brown hair and brown eyes. The only odd thing about him was the streak of purple hair that looked as if someone had just dumped purple paint on it. He didn't seem to see any of the adventurers, and he went back to the other two.

"I know, but come on." The one with an orange hat rolled their eyes, folding their arms and leaning back. "It's a fucking stupid rule! I don't know why she's dividing us into factions."

"I kind of have to agree." The smaller one said, looking back at the entrance of the alleyway. They seemed quieter, probably just there to keep an eye out for anyone who wasn't supposed to be there.

"Joan..." The one with purple hair pleaded. "I know, but we can't risk someone seeing you! Esseray's going to think it's my uncle's fault, and you know he's already in trouble." The one apparently called Joan sighed.

"I know." They groaned, sighing. "I just wanted to see you. And uh... apologize for the other night. I didn't... I shouldn't have said that. It was mean."

"You didn't mean it. I know you didn't." The boy shifted his weight. "But the worst thing you could do right now is getting yourselves hurt. You too, Talyn. Get yourselves home, please? Before your parents panic." The other two seemed to give in, nodding. 

"Fine. But you don't get into trouble either." Joan glanced around before leaning in and whispering something, just barely loud enough for the four hiding to hear. "I hear that there's a group of people who have magic. And they're coming here to fight Esseray. It's going to be amazing, they might free us all!"

"That's just a rumor. My uncle told me that there are no such people. That it's a whole bunch of speculation."

"Thomas, please, just be kind of hopeful for once?" Joan groaned. "Even if it isn't true, it's nice to believe, right?" Roman's foot slipped, and he knocked into the garbage can. The noise was quiet, but it was enough for all three of the kids in the alley to look up.

"Go." Thomas hissed.

"But-"

"Go home, Joan." He said quickly, his eyes pleading. Joan still hesitated, but Talyn grabbed his hand, pulling him the other way out of the alleyway.

No one moved for a few moments, Virgil glaring daggers at Roman, Logan not daring to move to adjust his glasses, even though he desperately wanted to, and Patton chewing on his bottom lip. A few moments of silence passed before they thought maybe they were clear.

Then the boy appeared in front of them, and Patton squeaked.

"Who are you?" He was holding out a small pocket knife, but his hand was shaking. "What do you want?" He demanded, a little more forcefully now after a moment of none of them answered.

"We're... uh... not from around here?" Patton tried, looking to the other three.

"That was kind of obvious," Virgil grumbled, putting his face in one of his hands.

"Why did you come here, if you aren't from around here? That's really, really dumb." Thomas said softly, before giving them a small guilty smile. "I mean, no offense, of course, but still. That was really dumb."

"We're here to defeat Esseray!" Roman announced a little too loud, and everyone shushed him, Virgil's hand covering his mouth. "Sorry?" He said sheepishly, the hand muffling his words.

"Seriously?" Thomas asked softly, his face one of confusion and then intrigue. "We should get someplace safer. Esseray has issued a full lockdown, unless you have reason to leave your house that you can prove, you aren't allowed to leave. Come on." He ushered them up, quickly moving to the next alleyway. "What are your names?"

"I'm Roman, that's Virgil, that's Patton, and that's Logan," Roman said as he pushed Virgil's hand off his mouth, but he was making an effort to keep his voice down.

"I'm Thomas, nice to meet you." Logan paused. Why did that name sound familiar? He could have sworn he knew a Thomas before...

"Logan?" Virgil asked, reaching out and taking Logan's hand. Logan shook off his confusion.

"I'm fine, my apologies." They hurried to catch up to where Thomas had stopped a few steps ahead of them. "Where are we going?"

"To my uncle's shop. I've been living with him ever since my... well, my aunt died." Thomas said softly, moving a little faster than before. "It's a pretty safe place to be, all things considered." 

"That sounds good, is your uncle home?" Thomas shrugged his shoulders.

"He's supposed to be meeting with Esseray." The group noticed how he spat her name. "She's been kind of meaner to him. And I mean, more than usual. She's such a-" He stopped himself. "Sorry, we aren't supposed to say things like that."

"Why not?" Roman asked, but Thomas just shook his head. They got to another alleyway, and he opened a door, ushering the other four inside first.

"Uncle? I'm home!" He called out, and a crash came from somewhere under them.

"Thomas? I thought I told you to stay inside!" Thomas winced.

"Joan and Talyn needed to talk." Footsteps were heard, and Thomas put a finger to his lips, pushing the four down behind a counter.

"Really, Thomas?" The man's voice was in the room with them now. "You know how I feel about you hanging out with those two, they're bad influences. You're going to get in trouble with the mistress again." Thomas hung his head.

"I know, but Uncle-"

"Wait, Thomas, I have something to say." Thomas nodded, and the man took a deep breath. "I know I'm hard on you, but I really just want you to be safe. You're all I have right now, and I don't want you to get hurt. I'm so sorry if I... if I make you feel less than or anything, you're just... I love you, you know that, right?" Thomas nods.

"I know, I love you too." Thomas bounced on his toes. "But... uh... there's something I have to tell you."

"Are you hurt? Did something happen?" Thomas's uncle's voice was panicked, and Thomas shook his head.

"No, no, nothing like that!" The group could hear the man exhale. "It's just... before when I told you about those rumors of adventurers..." Thomas trailed off.

"We've talked about this. I'd love it if there were a group of well trained magical people coming to save us, but it's not going to happen." The man turned away from his nephew. "Esseray told me that herself. She told me she scared them off, that's why I didn't have to..." He swallowed. "And anyway, even if someone was coming, how long do you really think they'd last against her? We, of all people, know her influence. It's for the best that no one is coming." Roman noticed his voice almost sound mournful. He looked over to Logan but he paused.

Logan's expression was one of full focus, completely immersed in his thoughts. And based on the face he was making, one of confusion, hurt, horror, and more fear than Roman had ever seen Logan express, it wasn't a very good thought. He shook his head, taking a deep breath, looking up to notice Roman's eyes on him. He shook his head quickly, putting a finger on his lips.

"Uh... Uncle... what if... what if someone did come? Hypothetically? And maybe I saw them and brought them... here?" There was silence from the other end before Roman heard the uncle turn around.

"Thomas, you are not an idiot." The man's voice was deceptively calm. "You know better, right? You wouldn't..." He trailed off, swallowing. There were a few moments of a silent conversation between the nephew and uncle.

"Where are they?" Finally, the uncle spoke, his voice defeated.

"Uh..." Thomas looked to the group, and slowly Roman stood up. Patton joined him, and so did Virgil, Logan hesitated, but joined them, almost hiding behind Virgil. Roman glanced at him before he was pulled out of his thoughts by the man stepping back.

"You're majesty!" He bowed, glancing up to look at Roman again as if he were making sure, and kneeling. "I'm so sorry, I didn't, you..." Roman winced at the man in front of him.

"Please, there's no need for formality. You're fine acting like I'm just another person." He took his time to study the man, long blonde hair that looked like it hadn't been cut in a few months fell in front of his face, but Roman could make out the glint of glasses behind the hair. He raised his head, looking to the other two, probably trying to decipher if they were people who needed to be honored as well.

Then his eyes landed on Logan, and both of them stopped breathing.

Logan stumbled back, swallowing dryly. Familiar kind and starry eyes looked back, locked in a battle of shock. He had thought he recognized that voice, though it was much more tired than he remembered. He had wracked his brain, wanting to know why he thought everything about this was so... so usual to him. He still refused to believe it, that his father was here, looking at him.

"Berry?" The word was so soft, Logan barely heard it, but the two syllables were enough for Logan to have to brace himself against the wall. If he were in a clearer mindset, he would be so relieved his dad hadn't used what he thought was Logan's name.

Thomas was his cousin. He remembered being brought here to play as a child, while his father talked to his sister. Aunt Patty had never been Thomas's mother, but when her boyfriend had dumped his own one-year-old child on her and left, she had taken it upon herself to take care of him. Logan's father had brought him over to talk a few times to make sure that everything was okay. That meant Aunt Patty was dead?

Roman, Patton, and Virgil were all looking at him in confusion and concern, all of which looked like they wanted to reach out and touch him, comfort him, but he knew that wouldn't help right now. Roman looked to Logan's dad and then back to Logan before realization dawned, and his eyes widened.

"Dad?" Logan's voice was soft, higher-pitched than before, almost squeaky.

"Lola..." His dad took a few steps forward, and Logan suddenly shook his head.

"No!" He said, far louder than he expected. His dad froze, drawing back. "Wait, I... I'm sorry, I didn't-" He cut himself off, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and even though he fully expected to slap it away, instead he leaned in, the warmth being more comforting than he expected. 

"Lola? You mean..." Thomas turned from Christopher to Logan a few times. "That's not what you told me?" Christopher looked back to Logan in confusion.

"Logan," Roman's voice was soft, and Logan hoped his father couldn't hear. "Are you okay? Can we do anything to help?" Logan shook his head, giving Roman a weak smile.

"Thank you, Roman. I'm... I'm fine. My sincerest apologies, I didn't mean to-" He looked back up at his father, and took a small step forward. "I just... it was a little overwhelming. I didn't mean to react like that. I am sorry."

"Lola," He started before he smiled softly, taking a step forward himself. Logan shook his head quickly. He had underestimated how uncomfortable he would be to hear those words coming out of his father's mouth. 

"That's not my name." He said before he could stop himself, form some other coherent thought, say something that made more sense. His father paused, confusion washing over him.

"What... what do you mean?"

"My name isn't Lola." Virgil and Patton exchanged glances, before going to stand by Logan, a protective barrier from the nervousness and mention of the situation.

"What-" His father studied him a little harder and the realization dawned on him. "Oh. You're... you're my... child?" Logan let out a puff of soft laughter.

"I am your child, but, if you are asking what I am in relation to you, I would be your son." His father blinked a few times.

"And your name?" His father walked around the counter now, watching Logan with soft and caring eyes.

"Logan." His father blinked a few times, then started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Roman folded his arms. No one laughed at his boyfriend's name, especially if that person was his boyfriend's father. He glanced back at Logan to find his cheeks pink.

"Lo, berry, that's adorable." His father looked up at Logan, and Logan was hit with familiarity. The smile, the carefree attitude he used to know. Before he knew what he was doing, he was running forward, wrapping his arms around his father's chest. His father laughed again, hugging him back. "Logan." He whispered into his son's hair, and Logan squeezed a little tighter.

He had dreamed of his father saying that to him before. He had woken up crying, going to his father's room and sneaking into bed with his dad just to feel what he could trick himself into thinking was his father's warmth. He had wanted to hear those words for so long. It sounded better than he imagined.

"I missed you, Loganberry." His father whispered again. "I missed you so much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> First of all, I a not abandoning this story. I'm sorry for not posting on Friday, but this was the last chapter I had written. The other one still barely has a first sentence, and that's probably going to be re-written. This note is here just to let you all know that, most likely, I will not be posting here again until March. I've been kind of busy with schoolwork, I've been trying to reality shift (so if you have any tips, that'd be awesome), and I've kind of lost motivation, but that doesn't mean that this book will go unfinished. I am going to see how many chapters I can write before March, and then go back to the regular posting schedule. Thank you for reading!


	42. The Argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, guess who's still alive? It's me! Anyway, here's a huge helping of angst!
> 
> TW: *Hits the top of Logan's head* You can fit so much internalized transphobia and homophobia in this bad boy. But in all seriousness, get ready for the smiles to be over for like, three chapters. Then I have to write fluff, it's physically impossible for me to do anything else. Also, get ready for me to not be able to actually write an unsympathetic villain! So Esseray angst too!

"Let's go upstairs." Logan's father said quickly, ushering everyone up. "It'll be easier to talk up there. I'm sure everyone has questions, but I'd like it if we could just settle in a little bit."

Logan's awe from seeing his father again was slowly wearing off, leaving in its wake a guilty resentment. Logan tried to push it away. The logical side of his brain knew that his anger wouldn't really get him anywhere, even though the other half was screaming at him to demand answers. To ask why his father lied to him. To cry and scream and throw a tantrum like he was six.

Instead, he allowed himself to be herded upstairs with the other three, making their way to the master bedroom. He and his boyfriends sat down on the bed, and he tried not to look like his whole world was falling down around him. Because suddenly the reality of the situation was starting to sink in. Where they were, why they were here, and the fact that they had no plan of how they were going to accomplish their goals.

"Esseray told me that she had scared you and your friends off." His father explained as he closed the door. "She told me that was the reason that I couldn't see you anymore. I'm so sorry... I wish I had known..." The guilty look was almost enough to make Logan hug his father again, but there was still that angry panic inside of him that kept him firmly planted on the bed. 

"Why didn't you know about me then? If you don't mind me asking, of course?" Roman asked, and Logan was thankful that he was being a little more talkative than normal. He seemed to understand that Logan was getting overwhelmed. 

"She wouldn't allow me to see you. She had me standing there, and not seeing you, just watching the small parts she let me watch. I couldn't even hear anything at moments. It was the worst torture." His father smiled. "Though I am very happy that my son," Hearing him emphasize the word a little bit both made Logan happy and queazy. "Has made such wonderful friends." Roman glanced to the other three on the couch.

"Well, actually-" Roman started, but before he knew what he was doing, Logan interrupted.

"Yes. I am very lucky that they are my friends." He tried not to look to the other three, but he knew what their reactions would be. Roman would look concerned and a little hurt, Patton would have that wide, confused look he sometimes got when he thought he was missing a joke, and Virgil would be almost reactionless, though he would be glancing at Logan a little more. Logan, however, kept his eyes firmly on the ground. He didn't need his father figuring out that, not only was his child, not his daughter anymore, he also wasn't straight. Coming out with one thing was painfully enough, he didn't need to tell his dad that not only did he have one boyfriend, but three. Another way of making him not normal. Another reason for his dad to stay away.

"I suppose you have some questions. But first, are you here for why I think you're here?" Christopher shifted in his seat.

"We're here to destroy Esseray," Roman said, as calmly as possible, though there was an edge to it that made Logan play with his fingers nervously.

"And I suppose there isn't any way for me to convince you not to?" Patton shook his head.

"It would be a waste of a trip, wouldn't it?" Patton laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. Logan didn't miss the way Roman flinched at the words. Logan was almost upset as well, the blatant shrugging off of the memories they had shared on their journey. Then he remembered what he had done, and he shrunk in on himself a little.

"Alright. Well," Logan's father got up, lost in thought. "I know you all have questions, but I would love to wait to answer them after the fight with the mistress. It'll be easier if I am not worried about what will happen to me if things go wrong, and I did disclose information I shouldn't have." Logan nodded, but that immature crying-and-screaming feeling was back. He didn't want to wait, he wanted answers now.

"Until then," Thomas pipped up. "We have a room that you could use? It's not the biggest, and some of you might have to sleep on the floor, but it's really all we have..." Chris smiled gently at Thomas, and jealousy lurched in Logan's stomach. He looked at the ground again.

"That sounds amazing. And you wouldn't happen to know the way to a field where we could practice our magic? The sooner we fight, the sooner we can get our questions answered!" Patton joked, and Thomas nodded.

"There's an abandoned park not too far away from here, I can show you after you get settled in."

"Excellent, thank you." Logan cut in. "Could we see that room? I would like to get to the park as soon as possible. The longer we stay here, the higher the chance that the witch will find out we are here."

Thomas leads them to the room next door. The bed obviously wasn't meant for more than one person, but the group almost instantly, and completely silently, decided that Logan should be the one to use the bed. The others set up the other sleeping bags around it, and a mixture of confusing emotions bombard Logan. At one point he had thought he had enjoyed them, the adrenaline at not knowing exactly what was going on, but today had just been way too much for him. His father, his boyfriends, him, it was overwhelming in the worst way, and asking for comfort the way Virgil or Roman, or Patton did would only end in him feeling worse. 

Through his thoughts, he vaguely noticed them moving to the park. Thomas led them carefully and quietly, telling them when to hide and when to move. They made their way quickly to the abandoned swings and slide. Thomas paused at the gates that surrounded the area, they were high and thick enough that no one could see in.

"I'm going to go back, is that okay?" Logan nodded absentmindedly, and no one else protested, so Thomas closed the gates. 

"Logan?" Patton's voice was small, but Logan pushed him away, once again mostly on instinct. He walked over to one of the swings, and pushed it with one of his books, more forcefully than he usually would.

"We should get ready to fight." His voice was obviously clipped, but no one said anything. He couldn't tell if he was thankful for that or not.

After a while, a conversation picked up. Logan was noticeably absent, but the other three seemed to be having a good time. Or at least, as good as they could with Logan acting the way he was. They were all obviously worried, but they didn't want to upset him. Everything almost got back to normal, them practicing their magic and abilities and joking like they normally would.

It was so close to being nice.

"The plants here are really beautiful!" Patton had said, looking around at the blossoming flowers that had started growing around certain parts of the park. "I wish I knew how to grow them."

"When we live together," Roman grinned. "We're going to have all the flowers. We can have a beautiful garden, and you can learn how to grow them. Maybe we can even grow some food so we don't have to buy everything!" If he had left it at that, maybe they would have been okay, but he had been trying to include Logan the entire time, so Logan was already at the end of his rope when he followed that statement up with, "Right, Logan?"

"What?" Logan turned to Roman pulled fully out of his thoughts for the first time. Roman blinked a few times at the force of the word.

"Uh, I was just saying that after this, when we get our own house together, we could have plants and stuff-"

"I'm sorry," Logan said shaking his head. "You... you really think, that after everything that has happened today, we aren't going back home?" Logan's voice rose in both pitch and volume.

"I-" Roman was cut off as Logan's frustration finally boiled over.

"You are so selfish! There are people in that city who need you to come back! Your brother, for example, the one who you would let us die for." Roman took a step back, recoiling as if Logan had slapped him. "Patton has a father who is probably worried sick as we speak! Virgil has just found the only family he has, and we're going to take that away from him. You're so narcissistic, you can't even see who you're hurting! You can't just leave and never come back! That isn't fair!" If Roman wasn't in shock or offended at the comments, he would notice how desperate the words sounded. How they weren't fully directed at him. But his brain was trying to process those words and the anger coming with them, so he didn't notice.

"We're going to go back to the kingdom. And then guess what's going to happen, you're going to be crowned king. You're going to have to marry some princess from another kingdom and forget all about us. Patton isn't going to be let out of his house ever again, and Virgil will live with his grandparents who's house is at least a week away from the kingdom. We will NEVER see each other again." Patton looked to Virgil, his face full of hurt and shock, and complete confusion. Virgil quickly held out his hand, and Patton attached himself to Virgil once more. Logan didn't seem to even notice, his focus still on Roman, who looked like a wounded animal. He quickly tried to gather himself.

"Is that why you didn't tell your father about us?" Roman squared his jaw, and Logan laughed humorlessly, letting his head fall backward. "About us dating? About us loving each other?" Logan looked directly into Roman's eyes.

"No. I didn't tell my father about us because he doesn't need to realize that his daughter isn't just a boy, but also a queer." Roman face turned into a snarl as he took a step forward. No one talked about his boyfriend like that, especially not his boyfriend. But Logan just shook his head, taking another step back onto a book.

"Logan-" Roman didn't know what he would say next, but thankfully Logan didn't give him the opportunity to finish.

"I'm done training. I'll see you all back at my father's house." His voice cracked and he was lifted by the book away, over the gate. Roman watched him go. For a few moments, he just stood there, frozen. Patton took a few steps forward, putting a hand on Roman's shoulder. Roman whirled around.

"It's okay, Ro. He's just overwhelmed-"

"No, he's right." Roman laughed, his eyes unfocused, tears brimming. "He's totally right. I... I was so stupid. I was so selfish, there are people that need me, and I hurt them. I hurt them, Patton. I didn't want to go back, but not going back would... But if I go back I-" He cut himself off as Patton, once again, tried to comfort him. Roman shook his head, stepping away from Patton's hand as if it were a snake going to bite him. "I'll hurt you. I'll hurt both of you. I... I don't want to do that, I'm so sorry!" Tears started rolling down his face as he took a few steps backward. "I can't hurt you. I won't." He ran. The gate opened and closed behind him, leaving Patton and Virgil alone in the overgrown park. Patton turned back to Virgil, his breath coming in fast. In a moment, Virgil was at his side.

"Please don't leave me too, please? I don't want to be alone, please don't leave." Patton's voice was completely broken, the words barely audible through whimpers.

"Hey, Pat, it's okay. It's okay, I'm not leaving. I'm not going to leave you." Virgil said quietly, and Patton sobbed. He hadn't realized he had started crying. "I'm not leaving you. I won't. Nothing can make me." Patton sunk to the ground, dragging Virgil with him. They just stayed like that for a few moments, Virgil's arms wrapped around Patton, who was sobbing into his jacket. After a little while, Patton seemed to be calming down. 

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Pat, please don't apologize." Virgil shook his head, pulling back so he could see his boyfriend's face.

"But... I ruined your jacket." Patton winced, laughing pitifully.

"I can wash it." Virgil brushed some of Patton's hair out of his face. "You are much more important. Are you okay?"

"Did... did they just break up with us?" Patton's voice broke.

"No." Virgil didn't even hesitate. "Logan got overwhelmed. I honestly would too. He said some things that made Roman upset, so Roman said some things that made us upset. They aren't breaking up with us. I won't consider us broken up until they say it plainly to our faces."

"And... and if they..." Patton trailed off.

"If they?" Virgil asked, keeping his voice level and soft.

"If they break up... what happens to us?" Patton didn't meet Virgil's eyes. Virgil's heart nearly broke, and he gently grabbed Patton's chin, leading him into eye contact.

"If they decide they don't want us or each other, I would still be happy to be dating you, Pat." Patton sobbed again, burying himself in Virgil's arms. Virgil held him close, and closed his eyes, hoping that whatever the other two were going through would stop, and stop quickly. None of the group was really equipped to handle that many unhealthy bursts of emotion.

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Esseray watched as the scene split into three. Roman stalking off through the streets, Logan curled in on himself crying against a tree somewhere, and the two hugging in the park. This was part of her plan, wasn't it? She wanted this to happen, to break them apart, to torture them? That usually made her feel better about herself, but a twist of something that felt much too close to sympathy pulled at the back of her mind, keeping her from truly enjoying the pain. She growled, smashing the water, but it only managed to disturb the images for a split second before going back to the clear pictures again. She slumped a little, glancing around the room. No one was supposed to be around, so maybe...

She wiped at her completely dry, not at all wet, why would you say that eyes, and walked over to the cupboard she always kept locked. She fished the chain out of her dress, and located the key, putting it in the lock and turning. The doors slowly swung open and she bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears that she would actually own up to.

Laying in the cabinet wasn't much, but it was also everything. Three rings, each with the same four stones inlaid. An amethyst, a jade, a white diamond, and an alexandrite. She hovered her hand over the bands, almost touching them, before pulling her hand away.

"Essy!" She imagined one of the voices again. "Essy, look! A butterfly!" As Esseray let her eyes close, she could practically see the adorable and beautiful fae girl, long flowing blonde hair in a braid down her back and a light blue dress, her gorgeous eyes tracing the pattern of a flying creature.

"That's a swallowtail." Another imagined voice informed, and once again, Esseray saw her, tall and gangly but in a way that was strangely endearing. Dark chocolate skin against black hair, and pointed elven ears. Even though she was tall, the sweater she was wearing managed to give her sweater paws, something Esseray had always loved.

"Seeing butterflies means that there's going to be some sort of change. It's also a symbol of joy. I'd say that's pretty accurate, especially the joy thing, right sweetie?" Short and in charge, the halfling always managed to have a bandaid somewhere on her body. She had freckles all over her tan skin, her entire body screaming adventure.

"I don't know about you all, but I am amazingly happy." Esseray found herself saying out loud, remembering that day.

"I'm glad. Because we had a proposition for you." Fiona winked, taking Esseray's hand and leading her back to the picnic basket.

"Oh?"

"Fiona!" Chloe stomped her foot. "I thought we agreed we would ask her after we ate the muffins I made!" She abandoned the butterfly, sitting next to Fiona.

"If you believe now is the best time, I suppose I will support you." Olivia was slightly nervous, glancing back over to Esseray.

"Well, now I'm worried." Esseray joked.

"We were wondering-"

"Mistress?" Missy's voice was far too close. Esseray slammed the cabinet closed.

"What are you doing here?" Esseray's voice was fire as she whirled around to Missy, who cowered.

"I'm so sorry, mistress, I just wanted to bring you something. I apologize for interrupting, I'll just be going." Missy quickly turned around.

"Good. Leave whatever you felt the need to bring me." Esseray was shaking as Missy dutifully dropped a box on the table next to her before scampering off. Esseray walked over to the box and opened it.

Of course. Esseray let herself smile now that Missy was gone as she picked up the smooth stone that looked nearly transparent. It was beautiful, and just as Esseray had described in one of the dreams she had a few nights ago. Missy had always been a wonderful girl. Esseray hadn't felt guilty doing what she had done to Missy, but she had come closer than she had ever before.

Well, until now.

She put the stone back, and as she did so, she saw the ring on her finger glinting. She swallowed as she traced the worn-down gems, the amethyst, jade, white diamond, and alexandrite.

"Would you like to marry us?" The question had come out in a rush, all three of them saying it at the same time. It had been the happiest moment of Esseray's life.

And now they were gone.

She wouldn't let her compassion for the children's situation affect her. She couldn't. She turned back to the pool, watching the three images again for a moment before waving her hand, dispelling it. They would fight tomorrow no matter what. And when that time came, she would be ready.

It wasn't what her wives would have wanted, but they never seemed to get what they wanted with Esseray around. It was one of the things they had loved about her.

This was going to be fun. And if it wasn't, well, she would make it so.


	43. The Fight (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me: Huh, it's kind of weird that I have an instinct to click over to AO3 and Wattpad today isn't it?
> 
> Me:
> 
> Me:
> 
> Me:
> 
> Me: OH WAIT IT'S FRIDAY FUCK-
> 
> TW: Uh... so angst? Yeah. Angst. This is... this is gonna be interesting. Non-sexual bondage, light torture, nothing graphic or descriptive, but there is pain dulled out. A decision that shouldn't be someone's to make being made... and yeah. Be prepared. This is part one of three

The group didn't speak to each other for the rest of the day. Not for lack of trying, after Virgil had calmed Patton down, he had been practically desperate for the other two to make up. He kept trying to get them to talk, but every time he backed down, going back to talking with Virgil instead. He didn't need them blowing up at him too.

They had nightmares that night. Esseray was smart enough not to let them know that she had realized they entered her city, but she played with their dreams just enough to make them horribly unpleasant.

Logan had found himself in a maze. There were words on plaques that he knew would lead him out, but he couldn't read or understand them. What made it worse was that there were so many voices calling out to him all around him. Some he recognized, his fathers, his boyfriends, Thomas's, and some were completely unfamiliar. The more he followed the voices, the more lost he became. 

Roman found himself chasing after something that looked like Logan, but whenever he got close enough to touch him, Logan disappeared in an echo of the words he had used before. Selfish. Narcissist. Cruel. All the while, he heard Patton and Virgil crying in the distance, but he couldn't go back to them until he had caught Logan. He needed to catch Logan. He needed to stop hurting people.

Virgil watched as, in his dream, Logan and Roman were fighting while Patton was trying to stop them. Suddenly, a giant version of Esseray rose behind them. Virgil tried to call out to them, to warn them of the doom behind them, but it was too late, as Esseray destroyed Patton, Logan, and Roman in one blow, killing them. Virgil tried to run and fight, but Esseray just laughed, pushing him back into nothing.

Patton was tied down to something, just out of reach of Virgil and Logan and Roman. He needed to tell them something, something that would save them somehow. He needed to let them know that there was a trap or someone watching, the specifics of which he wasn't sure what, but the group searching couldn't hear him. They got within two feet of him before they gave up on their search. Patton tried to scream, but nothing came out.

They each woke up earlier than they should have. They each glanced around them, looking at the other three, and wanting to reach out, hug them, ask for any sort of comfort. Then what had happened that day hit them again, and they turned over, trying to go back to sleep.

None of them could.

They finally 'woke up' when Thomas burst into their room panting.

"Uncle Chris is gone!" Instantly, everyone was sitting up, looking at Thomas with concern.

"What do you mean?" Logan grabbed for his glasses, slamming them onto his face.

"He went out last night to go meet someone important. He told me he wouldn't be more than an hour, but he's not in his bed. He usually leaves a note or something if he's out for later, or if he leaves while I'm still sleeping. Something's wrong." The entire group met each other's eyes.

"Esseray." They all said at the same time. The room was a bustle of getting dressed as Thomas quickly exited. They made their way downstairs and to the front door, only to be met by a small black-haired girl.

"Missy!" Thomas gave her a relieved smile. "Do you know where Christopher is?"

"Esseray called for him last night. I dropped by this morning, and I didn't see him at all, but he had to be there." She glanced past Thomas before relaxing a little. "Oh thank the gods. You four better not mess this up, you hear me?" She glared at them, and they looked at each other, nodding.

"What do we do?" Thomas's voice was small.

"My theory, she knows you're here. She wants to fight before you have time to make a plan. She took your dad, knowing that you would all go and fight her, even if you weren't ready." Missy folded her arms. "So please tell me you guys have a plan?" The group looked at each other again, this time more guiltily. "Seriously? We don't have time." She groans, before quickly making her way down the street.

As the group follows, the silence almost suffocating, they notice that people have started to come out of their houses and shops. They're watching the group of newcomers with interest and hope, and soon, a small mob begins to form a safe distance behind them. Virgil swallows as he remembers his dream from the night before.

"I know we fought yesterday," Virgil kept his voice low so the other two around them couldn't hear what he's saying. "But can we just put that aside for today? We can talk about it later, but I don't need us arguing and getting hurt." Logan sucked in a breath, and Roman rubbed his arm. "Please?"

"I swear I will not start a fight." Logan's voice was soft and full of regret, but he had just promised not to get into it yet, so he would hold off. Roman nodded.

"I promise." It was the first words he had spoken to them since the fight.

"No fighting," Patton agreed, looking up. "Uh, except for when we fight her." He pointed to the giant castle, where black smoke seemed to billow out of the windows. Roman gulped.

"Adventure?" He said softly, his voice unsure.

"Adventure." Virgil agreed as they drew closer to the gates. Two guards were standing at attention, watching with unseeing eyes.

"Halt!" One of them held up his hand, looking to Missy. "The mistress only wants for them to enter. She says she will deal with you after." Missy pales.

"Yes, sirs." She bows her head, the picture of obedience, but she glances to the other four with a defiant and confident look that might have been encouragement if she was trying to be encouraging and not intimidating.

"What about me?" Thomas asks, eyes wide.

"You are also not permitted to enter. Only these four. You may watch from out here." The two guards open the doors for Logan, Virgil, Patton, and Roman.

"Don't fuck this up, please?" Missy hisses at them, and the guards, look at them with pleading expressions for a few moments as well, before going back to their ridged posture.

The group entered the messy courtyard. The plants seemed to grow in a way that was organized chaos, someone had obviously tended to them for years but had given up. Somehow, without the gardener's guidance, the plants grew in their own overgrown plots of land. Patton wanted to go over and grab one, but Logan looked to the tower, shifting on his feet nervously. The more they waited, the worse that anxiety about not knowing if his father was okay would be. 

The door to the darkened castle was open, and the group barely made it four steps up the creaking stairs before it slammed shut behind them. Virgil shrieked, jumping in the air, only for Roman to catch him by the waist before he could trip down the few stairs they had climbed up. 

"Thanks." He tried to sound confident, but it came out more like a whimper. Roman smiled, helping Virgil right himself and then giving him a comforting squeeze. There were a lot of stairs, each one making a loud creaking noise as they put their weight on it. They weren't being particularly sneaky, and it was fairly obvious that the witch would realize they were coming before they actually were there.

The scene they saw when they got to the top of the stairs made Logan's blood run cold. Esseray was next to a man forced into a kneeling position by ropes around his wrists and ankles. A rope around his mouth kept him from saying anything, and his eyes were covered by a long strip of fabric. He was still but breathing hard. Esseray was sitting in a chair, her leg folded over the other one in a position that was obviously supposed to exert power, but her eyes were distant and lost in thought, but as soon as they crested the top, her eyes snapped over to them as if pushing a puzzle piece in place. Her expression turned to one of amused confidence.

"I knew you would come." She switched legs, her head sliding from leaning on one shoulder to the other. At her words, Logan's father started to struggle once more against his bonds, shouting muffled words that none of the group could make out. Esseray rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, and the words turned into a terrified whimper.

"Let him go." Logan's voice was that terrifying calm it had been when they had fought that gang that had tried to kidnap Roman. 

"Oh, Logan." Esseray rolled her eyes, leaning forward. "You're right. I've seen the wrong of my ways, and have decided to end evilness forever and you all will live happily ever after." She laughed, the cruelty turned up to an insane degree. "You're lucky I haven't done anything to him yet."

"Your quarrel isn't with him, witch." Roman's voice was much more powerful than he expected, stepping forward and putting an arm out in front of the other three. 

"No, but he is a pawn. It's only now that we decide which side he plays for, isn't that right, sweetling?" Christopher tried to say something again, but nothing more came out than a few noises that came close to being words.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Virgil's voice was tougher than usual, something Logan appreciated more than words could say.

"I'm going to make you a deal." Esseray's gaze went from the man bound on the floor to the group standing in the doorway.

"What's the deal?" Patton's hands were balled into fists at his sides.

"You want your kingdom to be immune to my wrath? You want the spell over so that you can go back to your happy little families back at home and live your sad little lives? Fine. I'll let your kingdom go, you'll be safe from any magic I cast. But..." Her gaze drags back to Christopher.

"But what?" Logan countered.

"But, I keep him. I keep everyone here. The rest of the world is mine, darlings. You can stay in your little bubble, but only that bubble is safe. And of course, you, until you get back. But everyone here is stuck here. And that includes dear old dad for me to do whatever I want to do with." She snapped her fingers, and the gag disappeared. "I'll give you a few minutes to decide."

"Logan-" His dad gasped, lurching forward. "Please, it's okay. Please, just go back home, I couldn't- If anything happened to you-" He was sobbing. "If anything happened to you I could never forgive myself, never. Please, go home, please be safe, I couldn't, I couldn't watch- In my closet in a shoebox is a stack of letters. Please, please when you leave, please give them to your father-" Esseray snapped and the gag was back in place. Logan's father's words were instantly muffled, and both Logan and his dad made a sobbing noise.

"The pleading got a little boring after a while, don't you think?" Logan nearly lurched forward and choked her right then and there. His father continued to struggle, but she snapped again, and his face twisted instead to physical pain. "I'm assuming that that was all the time you need to come to a decision, so I'll skip right to it." She waved her other hand, and large walls began to push the group apart. Roman tried to scramble up one, but it only ended with him falling on the ground, the breath evacuating itself from his lungs. The last thing the group saw of Logan was his teary eyes looking at them, and then he just nodded.

"I'll let you make your decision. And remember, it has to be unanimous! Your lives and the safety of your entire kingdom, including the magic I wanted back, for my continued control." And suddenly, everything was quiet.

"Logan?" Patton shouted. Nothing was heard back. In the other boxes, the other three were also trying to call out the others' names.

"Patton?"

"Virgil?"

"Roman?"

Two buttons appeared in front of each of them. 'Accept' or 'Reject'.

Logan's breath was coming fast. His father had pretty much begged him to take this deal, but if he did, wouldn't he be dooming both his dad and the rest of the world? The rational part of his brain was telling him that, yes, he was condemning them for now, but eventually someone else would come along. Someone much more qualified. Someone who wouldn't back down from a challenge or get into a fight with their boyfriends when his support was what really mattered. He wanted to go on another date, wanted to apologize, wanted to do so much more than... than this. Then their potential deaths. His father was begging him to do it. Logan closed his eyes and pressed a button.

Virgil didn't want to make this decision. It wasn't the group's to make, and it certainly wasn't his. But this wasn't something he had some stake in. He could ask his grandparents to move with him back to the safe haven of the kingdom. He could do what he could. But the way Logan's father was pleading with them, telling them which choice to make... Virgil had never been good at decisions, and even now, Darius was eerily quiet. They couldn't fight her, could they? She could destroy them with a wave of her hand. There was really nothing they could do, they never should have come here. He hated what he was doing, but before he could stop himself, his hand hit the button.

Patton eyed the two buttons warily. If this was his father, what would he do? But that was a silly thought, his own father had never left the house for more than a month at a time, and when he did, he would probably stay with Patton as much as possible after, never leaving his side. He force someone else to go through that, could he? He couldn't keep Logan's dad from him? But then he remembered Christopher's words. The pleading, the begging, the knowledge that he might die, but at least he would have seen his son again. Patton swallowed dryly, taking a step toward the buttons. This wasn't his decision to make, but that didn't mean that it wasn't forced upon him. He hated himself for pushing the button, but he had to.

Roman wasn't sure why he was here. The plan had always before seemed so straightforward, get in, kill the witch, run away with three beautiful boys. He knew now that the entire thing was selfish in a way he hadn't understood before. Logan could have said it nicer for sure, but he was right once again. Roman felt his hand hover over the Accept button, the words of Logan's father echoing in his mind. Please. Please. Leave. Go. Selfish. Self-centered. Narcissist. Christopher's words were mixing with Logan's as they overlapped in his head. He closed his eyes tightly. He knew what Logan had chosen. He wasn't sure about the other two, but this had to be unanimous, right? He slammed his hand down on the button with more confidence than any other choice he had made in his life.

"And the results are in!" Esseray cackled, and the walls fell. They didn't even have time to run to each other before she was talking again. "I'm sure you made the right decision-" She cut herself off as she realized something, her gaze scraping over each member of the group before landing on Roman. Roman glared right back at her.

"The choice wasn't unanimous." She rolled her eyes. "You should have taken my mercy while I was feeling generous. No matter, I'm going to have my fun." A thick fog settled around the room, and when it dissipated, both she and Logan's father was gone. 

"Logan!" Virgil turned to Logan with wide eyes. "I thought-"

"I didn't-" Logan said at the same time, mistaking the guilt in Virgil's voice for an accusation. "I swear I didn't-"

"Then who-" Patton started, but before any one of them could finish their sentences, Roman pointed to the large window.

"Uh, guys, not to be a downer, but the curtains are on fire, and I have a feeling that this place isn't exactly fireproof. We should get moving." He said quickly, herding everyone back down the stairs.

He wasn't ready to tell Logan what he had done just yet. Logan's words still burned in his mind, calling him selfish and self-centered. Well, maybe he was. But at least he was going to do something about it.

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Esseray had been hoping that they would have taken the deal. She really didn't want to kill them. She snarled as, with a flick of her wrist, Christopher was back in his house. This entire thing was making her so overwhelmed, old feelings rising to the top. She had worked hard to push those feelings down with confidence and power. If she just got a little more power...

She would get rid of these nuances. She would do it quickly. And she would do it without any sort of remorse. Power was the only thing that could protect the last remnants of her wives. She clutched the three rings in her other hand and took a deep breath.

Power was all she was. She intended to show them just how much she had.


	44. The Fight (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Uh... woof. So fighting, a little bit of getting hurt, Roman gets really exhausted (Have you learned nothing, my boi) and a lot of guilt. Like, a lot of guilt. So much guilt. Only some of it vocalized. Just be prepared for some ANGST.

"We split up. Attack her from all sides." Logan was planning as they made their way down the stairs. "She can't defend from all of us if we all go in at once. Can you-" Before he even asked the question to Patton, Patton was changing. A long howl could be heard that made everyone shiver.

"If any of us start to feel like we can't handle this, we need to run. She could really hurt us." Roman didn't state the obvious, that this was the most danger they had ever been in, but it didn't seem like it needed to be said. They made it to the courtyard, skidding a little bit as they stopped their running. In front of them was a sight that wasn't there when they had entered.

An extensive maze folded out before them. Four paths, each leading to various portions of the garden. They each looked at each other.

"Everyone takes a different path. If all else fails, I can teleport to someone else." Virgil kept his voice soft as the other three nodded, each of them taking off in different directions.

Roman ran into what looked to be a clearing with three other ways out. He didn't stop moving for a second, his heart pounding with the thud of his shoes on the gravel.

"Oh, little royal!" A sing-song voice called from above, and Roman swore under his breath. He felt the flames before he could see them, and jumped out of the way as a bolt of fire hit where he was just standing. He turned to her, manifesting the sword. Esseray was grinning malevolently down at him, making his skin crawl. Her wings were out in full force, giant dragon wings flapping to keep her in the air above him.

She wanted to hurt his beloveds. She didn't care about their well-being. All the hero books that he read said that real hero's never killed their adversaries, but in all those books, the villain was always redeemable. There was nothing redeemable about Esseray. He yelled as he swung at her when she got a little too close, but she just laughed, flying out of reach.

"Nice try, sweetling." Another bolt of fire was lobbed at him, but he deflected it with his sword. This went on for a while, him swinging at her when she got too close, and her shooting globs of fire at him that he blocked with his sword. Eventually, Esseray seemed to either get tired or bored, because she gave him one last push of fire before flying to a different area. Roman felt disappointed in himself with how relieved he was watching her move to a different part of the maze.

But then he remembered that, if she was flying away, that meant one of his boyfriends was going to be in trouble.

Roman ran.

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Patton wasn't even on a path anymore. He was using his head like a wolf battering ram, charging headfirst into the bushes as far as he could go. Eventually, he found his way to a gate made of iron. There were people crowded around it, watching. One of the people was Thomas, and Patton nearly changed back. The people all spotted Patton, but none of them seemed to know what he was. Cries of "Wolf!" And "Witch creature!" Were hurled at him, but he didn't actually care much.

He looked at Thomas with big earnest eyes and howled. Thomas blinked a few times at the wolf before his eyes went wide with realization. Patton gave his best thumbs-up, which, in that form, was little more than him batting the air sideways, before charging back in. He needed to help his boyfriends.

It wasn't too much longer before he saw one of Esseray's feet, just within biting distance. He didn't even think about it, he lept at her ankle, sinking his teeth into it. She growled as she turned, flinging him off of her with a flick of her leg, sending him sprawling into the bushes. He got up quickly, growling.

"A werewolf, huh? How... interesting." She laughed, before sending a bolt of frozen energy at Patton. Patton whimpered as he barely dodged, the air next to him almost crystalizing. The next bolt of ice hit Patton square in the shoulder, and he howled, lunging again, but this time at her wing. She flew backward to make him miss, but the way he was laughing must have made her nervous because she started to fly away. Patton was breathing hard, but he couldn't see the damage from where he was on all fours.

He paused a moment, smelling the air. It smelled like Logan, so Logan must be nearby. The plan was to go an attack from all sides, but if he was already a little hurt, though the wound barely stung, it would be better to group up. He started on the path that was Logan's.

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Logan wracked his brain to try to think of a plan. This was supposed to be his job, right? He was the smart one, he was the one who was supposed to think of how and why they did what they did. But all he was doing was drawing a blank. He couldn't focus, and it was driving him bat shit crazy. His dad was safe. That was what mattered at that moment. His dad and his cousin were both safe.

He turned around just in time to see Esseray with a grin, her arms outstretched towards him. He blinked for a moment before getting hit square in the chest with a burst of air. He fell back, the breath being knocked out of him. He crashed into something soft and furry, and he looked up to see a panicked Patton. He instantly changed back, his hands already glowing. Logan blinked up at him as he noticed a tear in the shoulder of Patton's shirt.

Roman rounded the corner as well, sword in hand, and Esseray smiled.

"Good, now that everyone is here," Her hand lit up in flames, "I can kill you."

"Virgil isn't here, witch," Roman muttered under his breath, and Patton glared at him.

"Roman, language!"

"I said witch, and also, we're fighting a fucking dragon, Patton; I think if there were any time to swear, it would be now." Patton thought about it for a moment.

"I mean... you do have a point, but still-" Before he could finish, a bolt of fire nailed Roman in the back. Roman let out a yell, and Patton ran to him, hands out and glowing. He quickly healed as much as he could, glowing hands on the burn. Esseray just sighed.

"Your little banter might have been cute before, but I'm not in the mood, sweetling." Her hands lit up again.

"Scatter!" Logan yelled, and they each made a break for a different place, Patton darting between her legs, Roman going to the left, and Logan sprinting to the right.

This was too much for them to handle. They needed a plan, and they needed it now.

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"What do you mean you don't have a plan!" Virgil was hissing at a floating, but obviously very upset, Darius. He had shown his physical form not long after the group split up, using the excuse that it would be easier to speak through.

"What I mean is," Darius looked just as upset about this news as Virgil. "That there is nothing I can think of that can stop her! She's a powerful dragon who is also a witch! And you all aren't even level five yet!"

"What the ever-loving fuck is that supposed to mean?" Virgil whirled around to face Darius head-on.

"It's just a way of measuring how powerful and how comfortable you are with your abilities from the demon world- That doesn't matter, she's about to kill you all!" Darius was obviously panicking, something that was putting both of them more on edge than normal. "Whoever didn't take that deal she gave you was an absolute moron." Virgil groaned.

"Fine, yes, I agree, but you have to have some sort of a plan! You always have some sort of a plan!"

"I'm working on it, V, but besides teleporting yourself away-"

"Which I already said I wouldn't do-" Virgil interrupted.

"Virgil, sweetheart, darling, I am much too aware of that. Besides leaving on your own, there's only one other thing I can think of to do!" As soon as he said those words, he regretted them. The look on Virgil's face would be hopeful if it wasn't for the rage in his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because this was an absolute last resort. Whatever we could do besides this, would be so much better."

"Why?" Virgil's voice was verging on desperate. "We need to do something, Darius, so why is it such a last resort?" Darius swallowed, trying to think of some sort of excuse to use. Then they heard Roman shout, and Virgil instantly looked in that direction.

"Virgil-" Darius's voice was pleading.

"Darius, I don't care if what we can do will destroy the world, if it will keep those three safe, I'd do anything. Tell me what I have to do." Darius sighed and leaned back. He didn't like this, but if it was what had to be done...

He would help. He had to.

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Patton's shoulder was actually starting to hurt. He held up his hand to touch it and winced. He didn't know how much more healing he could do today, and if someone else got hurt worse than he was... he hissed as he tried to move the shoulder. Okay, so healing was probably necessary right now. He held his glowing hand up to his shoulder. There was a rustling noise from around the corner, and Patton whirled to face it, but relaxed when he saw it was just Virgil.

"You're okay! We were worried for a second something had happened!" Patton nearly cried in relief. But then he noticed how troubled Virgil looked. "What's wrong? Did something happen? Do you need me to heal you?" Virgil's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly.

"No, no, nothing like that, I'm fine." He was lying. Patton could tell he was lying.

"Virgil-"

"I need you to do something for me." Vigil blurted out. Patton was taken aback. There was another shout from somewhere else in the maze, and Virgil's scared face turned into one of determination.

"What... what do you need?" Patton asked, softly. Virgil swallowed.

"Give me your hands?" Patton laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. That was sweet of him, a romantic moment in the middle of a fight, but they were too far in for anything of that kind.

"Normally, I would love to, but right now I don't think we don't have time for-"

"Patton, please?" Virgil's voice broke, and Patton froze. Whatever this was, it was important, probably more important than he was expecting. Slowly, Pattonheld out his hands to Virgil's.

"What are you going to-" As soon as Virgil took both of Patton's hands in his own, Patton cut himself off with a gasp. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to pull back, but it was too late. He felt that warmth that had been there since they had left the kingdom slowly get pried away, something stealing it. He felt it moving through his body, through his arms, through his fingers, and into Virgil's hands. When it was gone, he collapsed on the ground.

Virgil grit his teeth as he felt the warmth that he had felt before get uncomfortably hot. He looked to Patton, but he felt Darius's hand on his shoulder.

'He'll be fine.' Virgil wasn't so sure, but he had to move.

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Roman slashed through the bushes. He was just pissed. He didn't know how much longer they could keep doing this. Patton was nowhere to be found, and his legs, despite the muscles that had developed over the time they had walked around, were starting to ache. He took a deep breath in and out, deciding to take a small break, and hoping that Esseray wouldn't find him.

It was only a few moments before he saw Virgil running towards him. Roman perked up instantly, but worry clouded his features. Virgil didn't look hurt, but he defiantly wasn't alright. He was breathing heavily and his hands were clenched into fists.

"Virgil?" Virgil relaxed a little when he saw Roman.

"Roman." He smiled, but it was weak. Roman ran to Virgil's side despite the ache in his leg. He put one hand on Virgil's arm and the other on his forehead.

"My love, are you alright? You... you look..." Sick. Virgil looked sick. He was too hot, not that he wasn't always objectively hot, but this was something different. Something that made Roman's stomach churn. He looked and felt like he had a fever.

"I'm fine." Virgil shook his head.

"Darling, you most certainly are not. We need to get you out of here-" Roman started to move Virgil, hoping his voice was calmer than he felt.

"No!" Virgil shrank back. Roman blinked at him a few times, pulling away.

"What's going on?" His voice was soft, small. Maybe the pet names were too much, they did fight and hadn't talked about it yet. But he wasn't getting the idea that this was because of that, there was obviously something else wrong.

"I need you to... to give me your hands." Virgil winced at the words, and Roman recoiled.

"Virgil, what's going on?"

"Please, Roman?" Roman shook his head.

"Not until you tell me what you're going to do." Virgil took a step forward.

"Roman, I need you to-"

"No! I don't know what this is, but I'm not contributing to it! Something is obviously wrong, and I'm not going to make it worse!" Virgil growled, actually fucking growled, and lunged forward. Normally, Roman would have been able to doge, but he was weak. His legs hurt, his arms were worse, and he just wasn't as agile as Virgil was.

"I'm sorry," Virgil whispered as he grabbed Roman's hands tightly. Roman struggled, as he felt that warmth he had grown accustomed to since their first encounter with the witch leaving him. He pulled more vigorously, but Virgil's grip was iron. When there wasn't anything left, Virgil let go and Roman fell, his body too weak to support himself.

Virgil gasped, his eyes opening wide, his entire body glowing softly. Light blues mixed with reds and purples of every shade, soft colors mingling together around Virgil's body. Roman reached out, but Virgil pulled away, hissing as if the thought of contact burned him.

"I'm so sorry." He whimpered again, before running again in another direction.

Roman stayed there, not fully sure what just happened. He managed to finally move his limbs. He was so sore and tired, and he could just fall asleep right here, couldn't he? He could-

"Roman!" Patton's voice called out, as he ran to a collapsed Roman's side. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Virgil..." Roman coughed.

"He did that to you too, didn't he?" Roman looked up at Patton with worry, nodding.

"He... he took... he took my magic." Roman panted out as his brain finally put the pieces together. "I... he wouldn't tell me why..." Patton looked at the ground.

"He... he has three-fourths of the kingdom's magic right now." Patton's voice was quiet. Roman blinked up at him. His brain felt so focused on the panic of his magic being gone that he could barely put together what those words meant.

"What does that mean?"

"That means that if he convinces or forces Logan to give him his magic, according to what we know about this from Logan, he could die." Patton's voice wavered. Roman instantly got up, his legs still shakey.

"We can't let that happen."

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Logan was wracking his brain, trying to think of a plan. This whole thing had gotten too out of hand too quickly. He closed his eyes, trying to focus, to calm himself for long enough to think of something, anything they could do to get themselves out of this situation. His mind wandered, however, to Esseray. Why was she like this? No one just started this way, not even dragons. No one was born with ice in their veins, with fire and malice, they were framed and changed to be that way. If he could just figure out how she got like this, he could help.

His head jerked up as he heard rustling in the bushes next to him. He was on edge quickly, but that faded as soon as he saw Virgil. It came right the fuck back when he saw that Virgil was glowing.

"What happened? Virgil, why-" His breath caught in his throat. Virgil looked beautiful like this, multi-colors floating in and out of his frame, illuminating him. But he looked in pain, physically shaking and gritting his teeth, nails digging into his palms.

"I need your magic," Virgil said plainly, obviously in too much pain to sugarcoat his words.

"Virgil, whatever you are planning to do, it's too dangerous." Logan felt the pleading in his voice before the words were out.

"What else are we supposed to do?" Though it was posed as a question, he sounded resigned.

"We'll figure something out, Virgil, you don't have to hurt yourself to help us!"

"Yes, I do!" Virgil yelled. "You have your dad's back. Patton's dad would probably kill for him with what he's told us. Roman's the fucking prince! I have NO ONE." The magic around him lashed out at the bushes, causing a few of them to crumble.

"You have your grandparents! You have us!"

"You three have each other and my grandparents didn't even know I was alive!" Virgil's eyes were glassy as they met Logan's. "Logan, I haven't asked you to do much for me. But I need you to trust me, okay? I am the best one out of all of us to do this. I can do this. I have too."

"You can't! Your body can't handle that much magic! It shouldn't be able to handle as much as it is now!" Virgil winced but whether it was because of the magic or Logan's words, Logan was unsure.

"Logan." Virgil reached for Logan's hands. Logan flinched back, but Virgil still caught their hands together. For a moment, nothing happened, and Logan looked up. "Trust me." Logan closed his eyes and relaxed. He felt the magic leave him as if magnetized to the amount inside of Virgil.

In a moment, Logan fell to his knees as Virgil yelled out in pain. Roman and Patton rounded the corner, running to Logan and helping him up, as Virgil launched himself into the air.

"Esseray!" His voice was booming, echoing, terrifying. And strangely hot, but Roman decided that that particular thought was something to unpack much later.

Esseray who was flying at a different portion of the maze looked up with a snarl that turned into a look of awe. With a wave of Virgil's hand, all the hedges fell to their sides. As Patton tried to meet Virgil's eyes, he noticed something. They were dark, the brown irises almost taking over the entirety of his eyes. Something here wasn't right.

His concerns were confirmed when a black smokey form of a familiar man appeared behind Virgil, one hand on his throat, the other on his hair, holding his head back.

"How about we make a deal, Esseray?"


End file.
